Kuzul

One month in, Major League Baseball’s free-agent market hasn’t been lacking for action. Per ESPN.com, over $600 million has already been spent on free-agent contracts.

But by now, you’ve probably noticed the weirdness. If not, it’s like this: Though the open market is saturated with quality pitching—particularly starting pitching—it’s hitters who are hogging the cash so far.

Here’s a quick look at hitters and starting pitchers who have signed, in order of how much money they’ve signed for:

• Hitters: Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Russell Martin, Yasmany Tomas, Victor Martinez, Nelson Cruz, Billy Butler, Adam LaRoche, Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter, Chris Young and Justin Smoak.
• Starting pitchers: A.J. Burnett and…uh…yeah…

True story. We’re one month into an offseason in which hurlers like Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, James Shields, Ervin Santana and Francisco Liriano are up for grabs, and not one of them has signed. In the meantime, almost all the quality hitters on the market are already spoken for.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick agrees this is unusual:

So what’s going on? Are MLB clubs telling us they think this winter’s selection of starting pitchers is overrated? Heaven forbid, is there some kind of collusion thing at work?

Well, I suppose nothing should be ruled out. But the real explanations would appear to be much simpler. Rather than some kind of conspiracy, the way in which the market has favored hitters would appear to be a lesson in supply and demand and market-setting.

We’re used to treating that old “you can never have too much pitching” saying as gospel, and for good reason. It’s hard to win without good pitching, and teams have long tended to prioritize adding arms in-between seasons.

But things are a little different now. Offense has been down for a couple of years now, but things got truly bad in 2014. The league averaged only 4.07 runs per game and a .700 OPS, two of its worst offensive marks in decades.

So, for the first time in a long time, teams legitimately have too much pitching and not enough hitting. That desperation would explain not only why clubs have been in a hurry to get their hands on bats this winter, but also why they’ve been willing to pay big prices for seemingly less-than-awesome products.

Case in point, the Boston Red Sox spent nearly $200 million to sign Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. One of them (Sandoval) really isn’t that much better than a league-average hitter, and the other (Ramirez) is an injury-prone hitter who’s past his prime.

Another thing we can point to is how clubs have been perfectly willing to spend money on bat-only players. The bad-fielding, slow-running Michael Cuddyer fits the bill, and designated hitters Victor Martinez, Billy Butler and Nelson Cruz certainly do as well.

As AJ Cassavell put it at Sports on Earth:

A few years ago it seemed absurd to think teams would be this eager to shell out such sums of money for players offering no value defensively. But the dearth of offense in this year’s free-agent market has changed the dynamic entirely.

In so many words: At a time when every team needs offense, teams are perfectly willing to take what they can get.

That’s one explanation for why the pitching market is lagging so far behind the hitting market. By all indications, another is that there’s something blocking the pitching market from getting going.

Specifically, this guy:

Jon Lester hasn’t done anything wrong. As you would expect with a guy who owns two rings and is coming off a 2.46 ERA in 2014, the veteran left-hander has been drawing a lot of interest. You can’t blame him for taking time to explore and weigh his options.

And yet, it would also be understandable if other stud starters are growing impatient with him. Unwittingly or not, Lester has stumbled into the role of being a market-setter for starting pitching.

MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince has touched on the idea. So has ESPN’s Buster Olney, who writes: 

But many other pitchers—including those who could be traded, like Oakland’s Jeff Samardzija—may have to wait for Jon Lester to set the price. Almost everything in the pitching market seems to be on hold until Lester makes his choice among offers from the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants (and perhaps others). Once that happens, the price ceiling will be established. 

In the words of one agent: “Then everything else will fall in line after that.”

Why Lester? A couple of reasons, really.

One is that his level of talent can set market prices in both directions. He’s not considered to be as good as Max Scherzer, so his contract will present figures for Scherzer to beat. But since he’s better than James Shields, Ervin Santana and Francisco Liriano, his contract will present figures for them to strive for.

Another is that whatever market price Lester sets won’t be clouded by draft-pick compensation. The trade that sent him from the Red Sox to the Oakland A’s in July barred him from getting a qualifying offer, so whatever market price he sets will be about money and nothing else.

Hypothetically, the hitting market could have gone through something similar. Beyond the widespread need for bats, part of the reason it’s not is because the market was set very early on in the process.

The two-year, $21 million contract Cuddyer signed with the New York Mets in early November established a baseline for the price for a solid hitter. The four-year, $68 million deal Martinez signed with the Detroit Tigers soon after established a baseline for an excellent hitter.

Like that, the floodgates opened.

So as much as the early run on hitting and general disregard for pitching might feel like some kind of grand conspiracy at work, in reality it’s no such thing. Clubs are going after hitters largely because they need them, and they’re waiting on pitchers because they’re waiting to know the going rate.

But rest assured, the deals are coming. Lester will sign first, and then many more will sign. And in time, we’ll forget that things were ever weird.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted/linked.  

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Thanks in large part to the early run on position players, most of the best talent on this winter’s free-agent market is already spoken for.

But fret not. With Major League Baseball executives and player agents set to gather in San Diego for the winter meetings this coming week, the free-agent market isn’t completely devoid of top talent just yet. There’s still plenty to talk about.

That’s what we’re here to do, anyway. We’re going to take a look at the 10 most notable free agents still available and see where they stand before taking a stab at guessing where they’re most likely to end up.

Start the show whenever you’re ready.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.

Begin Slideshow

Major League Baseball’s offseason is more than a month old, but there’s no shortage of rumors and speculation—and questions—around a number of free agents and trade candidates, as well as teams’ objectives and plans of attack.

Some of the latest center on the plans of the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers, the fallout in Oakland from the Josh Donaldson trade and what Chase Headley is worth on the open market.

Having covered a number of topics last time, what better way to continue taking the temperature of the hot stove than by running through a batch of the hottest questions to cover the latest potential transaction action across the sport?

See, that’s a question in and of itself, although the four to follow are a bit more meaningful. Promise.

Begin Slideshow

Max Scherzer spent the 2014 season doing more than just playing baseball. During the course of the year, from spring training through the playoffs, the free-agent right-hander also was conducting a rather interesting—and really risky—experiment of sorts.

Coming off a career year in which he won the American League Cy Young in 2013, Scherzer famously rejected a six-year, $144 million extension from the Detroit Tigers last March.

At the time, that amount would have made him the seventh highest-paid pitcher in history, which is why the decision could have been described as anything from questionable to silly to selfish—and, yes, even brilliant.

Sure, Scherzer could have signed on the dotted line right then and there and secured more money than just about any human being has a right even to dream earning in a lifetime.

Instead, Scherzer gambled on himself, figuring that with another strong season, he would be entering free agency, where his market would explode from a single team (the Tigers) to all 30 clubs in Major League Baseball. So, too, would the money.

“Back then only we could have signed him,” Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said, via Joel Sherman of the New York Post, about last March’s offer. “Now, 29 other teams could sign him. As you see, the odds don’t improve.”

That’s how Scherzer and superagent Scott Boras, who almost always gets top dollar for his elite clients, decided to let this experiment play out.

After a 2014 season that was nearly as great as his award-winning 2013—his ERA (2.90 in ’13 vs. 3.15 in ’14) and FIP (2.74 vs. 2.85) were more or less the same—Scherzer has set himself up rather nicely this offseason.

Or has he?

While the 30-year-old right-hander unquestionably is going to get a massive multiyear, nine-figure contract, there are reasons he and Boras might be sweating things out at least a little bit, even as the temperatures dip this winter.

For one thing, a number of teams already have spent big merely a month into the offseason.

The Tigers, with whom Scherzer played the past five years, chose to re-sign designated hitter Victor Martinez for $68 million.

The Boston Red Sox, who have a major need for starting pitching, handed out large contracts to position players Hanley Ramirez ($88 million over four years) and Pablo Sandoval ($95 million for five).

The Toronto Blue Jays, another team that has a hole at the top of its rotation, splurged on catcher Russell Martin, who netted $82 million, the second-largest deal in franchise history.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, yet another club searching for arms, signed outfielder Yasmany Tomas—perhaps the next Cuban phenom—to a six-year, $68.5 million pact.

The Seattle Mariners just agreed to pay DH Nelson Cruz $57 million to help them end their 13-year playoff drought after inking third baseman Kyle Seager to a $100 million extension.

Put simply, a number of teams that could have splurged on Scherzer—and a lot of the money that could have been forked over to him—now cannot.

The second reason Scherzer‘s experiment might not necessarily pay off quite as much as he and Boras had hoped? The pitching market is absolutely flooded at the moment.

There are all kinds of free-agent arms, including high-end names Jon Lester and James Shields, as well as others like Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana and Brandon McCarthy.

And on the trade front, there are even more highly regarded options. Among them? The Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels, the Oakland Athletics’ Jeff Samardzija, the Washington Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, the Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos and the San Diego Padres’ Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy.

With so many pitchers readily and apparently available, it’s at least possible that teams will look elsewhere at less expensive—but still very good—options rather than give in to Scherzer and Boras‘ demands.

In such a scenario, they might not be able to do much better than the $144 million.

“It’s not the best time to be looking for a big deal,” one unnamed GM told Buster Olney of ESPN (subscription required).

On the other hand, two things remain very much in Scherzer‘s favor.

First, he is considered arguably the best free agent on the market this offseason along with Lester. Historically speaking, that player almost always gets paid as much as—if not more than—expected.

And because he is a free agent, Scherzer‘s services can be acquired strictly for cash. Granted, the signing team also will lose a draft pick because he rejected the qualifying offer, but the club won’t have to surrender talent from the major or minor leagues to get him, unlike a team would for each of the trade candidates above.

Second, there has been almost no action involving pitchers so far.

The most notable free agent to sign so far? That’d be A.J. Burnett, who turns 38 in January and got $8.5 million from the Pittsburgh Pirates after posting a 4.59 ERA for the Phillies and then considering retirement.

In terms of trades, the biggest pitchers to change jerseys are Shelby Miller, who went from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Atlanta Braves, and Jeremy Hellickson, who went from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Diamondbacks. (Is your spine also not tingling?)

That means the high point of the salary scale for pitchers hasn’t been set or even approached yet.

That could change soon, as there has been plenty of heat around Lester, who has met with several clubs and reportedly has an offer of $138 million from the Chicago Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

If the left-hander gets $130 million to $140 million—or more—than Scherzer should be able to beat that considering he is as good as, if not better than, Lester and thus would become indisputably the premier target left on the open market.

The other factor here? Boras is known for his slow-burn strategy, having his top-tier clients remain available for a long time, well beyond the winter meetings and even occasionally into the new year, at which point the market clears up and desperation starts to seep in—for the teams.

As Olney writes:

Some club evaluators fully expect Scherzer‘s contract talks to carry over for weeks, as agent Scott Boras works to make a big deal happen—something significantly more than the six-year, $144 million deal that the Tigers offered to Scherzer in the spring. Boras‘ negotiations often play out way past the winter meetings, and there is so little current buzz around Scherzer.

To that end, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, the teams with the two highest payrolls in 2014, have yet to do much of anything this offseason.

While the former doesn’t have a huge need for a starting pitcher and the latter claims to be staying away from big-money contracts (for once), per the New York Daily News, it wouldn’t be a shock to see one or both go in on Scherzer, depending on how their plans work out—or don’t.

Scherzer and Boras ultimately need only two suitors willing to spend in order to create leverage and drive up the price for the right-hander.

While it’s been quiet so far, chances are the top free agent and top agent will be able to devise just such a scenario, one likely involving more than two teams.

Once that happens, whether it’s in the coming days, weeks or even in a month or two, expect Scherzer to do better than the $144 million he turned down.

The ultimate price tag attached to him might not be much above that amount, but even if it’s $145 million—to say nothing of $150 million or $160 million—the plan will have been carried out as predicted.

Scherzer‘s experiment will have worked.

Statistics are accurate through the 2014 season and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Who knew it would start raining bats in Seattle?

Robinson Cano last winter. Nelson Cruz this winter. Maybe the drought is finally over. The Seattle Mariners: Early AL West favorites entering 2015? You bet. Mark it down. Lattes all around.

And keep pouring: With a zesty mix of youth and experience, the Mariners now are built to win not just in 2015, but also for a handful of years beyond.

General manager Jack Zduriencik stubbornly has clung to his plan, building around ace Felix Hernandez, refusing to trade him despite the free advice of national columnists, and good for Zduriencik. Tempting though it may have been during all of those summers when the Mariners would have had an easier time rapping with Macklemore than scoring a run (or, gasp, two), I never thought they should have solved their production problem by dealing an arm like Hernandez’s for bats.

First, it is really, really hard to find an ace like The King, especially one who wants to stay in town.

Second, Seattle fans deserved at least one player worth watching in Safeco Field.

The exasperating part came two and three years ago when the Mariners felt they were close to winning and yet couldn’t land a cornerstone lineup piece.

They chased Prince Fielder hard on the free-agent market before Fielder went to Motown. Disappointment level: extremely high, because as Milwaukee’s farm director before taking the Mariners gig, Zduriencik drafted Fielder and hoped maybe that relationship would have given Seattle the inside track.

They chased Josh Hamilton hard on the free-agent market before Hamilton signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Disappointment level: moderate, because while Seattle never really expected Hamilton to sign, Zduriencik romanced him hard and, ultimately, Hamilton landed with a rival AL West team.

They were set to acquire outfielder Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks two winters ago, but Upton exercised his no-trade powers to void the trade and instead steer himself to Atlanta. Disappointment level: not so high, because the cost would have been high. Sources told me at the time that the Diamondbacks would have received one pitcher from Seattle’s “Big Three” prospect list—Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen or James Paxton, likely Walker—plus two relief pitchers.

For now, Walker, Hultzen and Paxton all remain in Seattle and in the Mariners’ plans. For now, because the M’s remain in trade talks with the Dodgers (Matt Kemp), who reportedly are demanding Walker or Paxton, and in free-agent talks (Torii Hunter, Alex Rios).

In Seattle’s best-case scenario, Cruz, who sources say agreed on a four-year, $57 million deal, will spend most of his time as designated hitter, and the Mariners will add one of the aforementioned outfielders to play right field.

There is no question Cruz is a major upgrade. Mariners designated hitters in 2014 ranked last in the AL in slugging percentage (.307), on-base percentage (.270), batting average (.191) and RBI (49). Only the Kansas City Royals’ DHs, with six, hit fewer home runs than Seattle’s 15.

Also:

In Baltimore last year, Cruz, 34, led the majors with 40 homers, ranked third in the AL with 108 RBI and fifth with a .525 slugging percentage.

Kendrys Morales, he ain’t. This is a man who can rattle Safeco Field fences.

Add Kyle Seager’s seven-year, $100 million deal, and the Mariners are on the move. Lots of people point to the dip in Cano’s home run total last summer—14, down from 27 in 2013 and 33 in 2012—failing to put it into the proper context. Safeco Field is nowhere near as homer-friendly as Yankee Stadium, and Cano mostly was surrounded by young, inexperienced hitters.

I had a long and interesting talk about this one day last season with manager Lloyd McClendon, who was bullish on Cano.

“He’s stabilized and solidified this lineup,” McClendon told Bleacher Report. “He’s given guys more oomph in their step, more pump in their chest.   

“And that’s something nobody outside this group can know.”

With Cruz batting behind him, Seager and Mike Zunino continuing to develop, the fleet Austin Jackson in center field for an entire season, King Felix, Walker, Paxton, Hisashi Iwakuma on the mound and third-base prospect D.J. Petson on the horizon, the Mariners should have more pump in their chest now for quite awhile.

2. Culture Change Across the Border

Russell Martin? Great talent, good guy.

Josh Donaldson? Great talent, good guy.

On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, the Toronto Blue Jays did not settle for leftovers. The Martin free-agent deal ($82 million) already was done, but the Donaldson trade was stunning.

Stunning, for Toronto, in a very good way.

It’s no secret that Donaldson’s WAR over the past two seasons ranks second in the majors only to that of the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout. This is a gritty player, a good hitter, a terrific third baseman and a clubhouse leader with a big heart.

Given Baltimore’s crippling loss of Nelson Cruz, the AL East this winter is turning into a free-for-all. Let’s see what the Orioles do next, and let’s see if Boston gets some pitching, but right now you have to like Toronto’s chances to contend.

Clearly, the Jays are going for it. Now, the cautionary tale is that Toronto went for it two winters ago, too, in acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. Some had the Jays as favorites to win the AL East heading into 2013 (yup, that’s my hand that is raised), only to see them crash and burn.

It’s apparent that general manager Alex Anthopolous is shifting the culture in the clubhouse with the Martin and Donaldson deals. Both are gamers with playoff experience. The Jays’ job isn’t yet done. They have other holes to fill (such as second base, the rotation and in the outfield). But they’re going to be very interesting in 2015.

3. Follow the Bouncing Billy Beane

Meanwhile, from the Oakland perspective: Trading Josh Donaldson is another whopper of a head-scratcher. The A’s already dealt Yoenis Cespedes last summer. Donaldson was their best overall player. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2013 and eighth in 2014. He was under club control for another four years before he was eligible for free agency.

“He’s an Oakland-type player,” a scout with a rival team says. “He leaves it all on the field. I just don’t understand why you would give away your three-four hole hitters [Yoenis Cespedes and Donaldson] who won you division titles. Now all of a sudden, Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler replace Cespedes and Donaldson? It cuts down on your offense.”

So…why would Oakland trade Donaldson?

Well, you could say because the Athletics are rebuilding, especially if starter Jeff Samardzija is the next player dealt (as many in the industry expect).

Except, the A’s just gave designated hitter Butler a three-year, $30 million deal. That doesn’t look like rebuilding.

Maybe the A’s traded Donaldson because after dealing prospects to the Cubs for Samardzija last summer, their system needed restocking. And along with third baseman Brett Lawrie, the A’s also received three prospects from Toronto: pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, and a young, blue-chip shortstop, Franklin Barreto, 18.

What we know about Athletics’ president and general manager Billy Beane is that there always is a method to his madness, even when the surface dots don’t connect. So that’s the theory I’m going with now.

If there are no subsequent moves, the Donaldson trade is a dud. But with Beane, there always are subsequent moves.

One final thought, though: If you are an Oakland fan, fall in love with the players at your own risk. Because the player you fall in love with today is the player the A’s will ship away tomorrow.

The A’s ranked 24th in the majors in attendance last summer at 25,045 a game, and 10th in the AL. And that was for a team that was dominant for much of the summer. You wonder if attendance in Oakland would be better with any kind of roster stability.

4. The Rest of the Donaldson Story?

One industry source says he “knew” the Athletics would trade Josh Donaldson this winter, no matter how little baseball sense it made, because the All-Star and Beane were “at war” by season’s end.

Multiple sources cite a verbal altercation between the two after Donaldson told manager Bob Melvin he needed a couple of days off after Oakland had played several days in a row. The story goes, Beane told Donaldson if he needed a couple of days off, the club should put him on the disabled list, and that made Donaldson unhappy.

While both Donaldson and Beane downplayed the incident in a couple of texts to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s terrific baseball writer, John Shea, the industry source described a different scenario to Bleacher Report.

“Donaldson told the manager he needed a blow, and [Bob] Melvin said, ‘You got it,’ ” the source said. “Then that night’s lineup came out and Billy asked, ‘Where’s Donaldson?’ “

When told what happened, the source says, an angry Beane demanded that Melvin put Donaldson back into the lineup.

“They got into it in the coach’s office,” the source says, describing a scene in which Beane lit into Donaldson, with the third baseman reiterating his need for a day off and petulantly calling Beane “Billy Boy.”

“Nobody talks to Billy that way,” the source said. “It did not surprise me in the least that he got rid of Donaldson.”

5. Goodbyes and Social Media

Used to be, a superstar player would take out an ad in the local newspaper when that part of his career closed.

Now? Yes, Twitter. Donaldson says goodbye to Oakland here in a moving message.

6. Hitters Coming off the Board

For what seems like decades, it’s been all about the pitching. No longer.

While top free-agent pitchers Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields remain on the market, the best hitters are being snapped up like popcorn at The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I.

Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Michael Cuddyer, Adam LaRoche, Russell Martin, even Chris Young (the outfielder)…all signed.

Moreover, in a telling trend, AL clubs this winter appear more willing to return to the old days of paying for a true DH:

The Tigers wasted no time in re-signing Victor Martinez (four years, $68 million).

The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz (four years, $57 million) to DH.

The A’s invested in Billy Butler (three years, $30 million).

And though the Red Sox signed Sandoval to play third base, they clearly plan on him replacing David Ortiz, 39, at DH in the waning years of his deal (five years, $95 million).

7. Free-Agent Power Rankings

My weekly take as agents bluster, suitors cluster and bean counters muster the courage to write those checks…

1. Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46, 1.10 WHIP): The Cubs, Red Sox and Giants, among others, are making their cases. Lester would look great in AT&T Park, especially for a Giants club that just lost its Panda. But it’s still difficult not to see this coming down to the Cubs and Red Sox.

2. Andrew Miller (5-5, 2.02, 0.802 WHIP): The Royals dominated in October, and everyone wants to emulate their HDH Kelvin Herrera/Wade Davis/Greg Holland bullpen. And suddenly, a late-blooming, lanky (6’7″) 29-year old may be in line for a four-year, $40 million deal. Hello, Yankees…or Dodgers…or Red Sox.

3. Torii Hunter (.286/.319/.446, 17 homers, 83 RBI): With Nelson Cruz off the board, the Orioles suddenly have a big need. And the Mariners are still looking for a right fielder either via trade (Matt Kemp?) or a short-term free-agent fix. Hunter, 39, would be perfect in Seattle, where he could slide over to DH on occasion when a left-hander is throwing to rest his legs (because Nelson Cruz can play first base instead of Logan Morrison on those days).

4. Melky Cabrera (.301/.351/.458, 16 homers, 73 RBI): Everybody is looking for a hitter, and did you see what Nelson Cruz signed for? Somewhere, Cabrera is smiling. Hello, big money. Again.

5. Tim Flannery: Retiring Giants coach heading into the best kind of free agency, choosing each day between singing and surfing…

8. Goodbye Flan Man

Few coaches were as beloved as Tim Flannery, who unexpectedly retired as the Giants third-base coach a couple of weeks after the World Series. A great baseball mind, talented songwriter, raconteur, nature lover and a deeply spiritual man, Flannery is that rare treasure who can relate to many different people in many different ways.

It’s no wonder that manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean each were said to have shed some tears when Flannery told them he was hanging up his spikes, though there’s a chance the tears could have come because they realized they weren’t just losing their third-base coach, but their moonshine connection as well (Flannery’s family comes from the hills of Kentucky).

Anyway, in a farewell interview on San Francisco’s KNBR radio with Rod Brooks and Bob Fitzgerald, this part of what Flannery said will give you a glimpse into the soul of the man:

I want to tell a quick story, because this was the final straw for me. The last week of the World Series, I hear my nephew’s wife had a baby—I didn’t even know she was pregnant. The season is so long that she got pregnant the first week of spring training and had the baby the last week before the World Series. The season is so long that an egg can get fertilized, it can become a human, you can carry it for nine months, and then it gets spit out at the end, and I’m still playing the same baseball game every night, every night, every night. I just…I’m going surfing, sorry.

Here’s to good waves and good songs in your retirement, Flan. And on a personal note, I’m thankful to live in the same town as Tim. I plan to see him often with his crack band, The Lunatic Fringe.

9. RIP to a Boston Legend

Dick Bresciani passed away this week after battling leukemia, and while you probably don’t know the name unless you’re obsessed with the Red Sox, you should. Bresciani, 76, was Boston’s longtime public relations chief and had served the Red Sox in some capacity or another since 1972 (in these final years, he acted as the club’s historian).

Bresh, as he was known, was one of those background people (read: not in uniform) who spends nearly as much time at the ballpark as the grass on the field. While fans get to know the players, people like Bresh are the ones who outlast the players and give an organization its soul.

One quick personal story: When I was covering the Twins in the late 1990s, they opened one season in Boston. Well, tried to. Opening day was snowed out.

So the players went to the park to stretch and loosen up, and I went that afternoon because readers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press were going to expect a story the next day on their team and what an opening-day snowout meant.

Now, here’s where things went off the rails: The Sox, in those days, were not the most media-friendly club around (even though Bresciani always had a smile). So upon my arrival at Fenway Park, security guards gruffly informed me the place was closed and I could not come in, even with a media pass. I explained that the Twins were inside, and they told me their clubhouse was open and I could come in.

The guard told me to wait and then disappeared, I assumed, to phone upstairs and get this cleared up. Well, when he returned, he not only told me I couldn’t come in, he threw me out of the Fenway Park entryway. Pulled the garage door shut behind me, leaving me on Yawkey Way to look for a cab as the snow piled up on the sidewalk and the enormous, wet flakes from the blinding snowstorm left me soaked.

A couple of hours later, after I had talked with some Twins over the telephone (having explained what happened), the phone rang in my hotel room. It was Bresh, who by now had heard what happened and apologized profusely.

Small story from a long-ago time. But clearly, I’ve never forgotten it, and it always made me smile. That phone call helped melt my anger like the snow melted a day later, and I always enjoyed seeing him at Fenway Park. Rest in peace, Bresh.

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. He has over two decades of experience covering MLB, including 14 years as a national baseball columnist at CBSSports.com.

Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball @ScottMillerBbl.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Now that December has arrived, the annual winter meetings are next up for the New York Mets and the other MLB teams. At that time, all the general managers will meet up and discuss potential signings and trades with each other for a few days.

This could be when the Mets discuss possible trades with other teams and decide whether they should trade for a shortstop, among other positions. They may even inquire on other general trade possibilities just to gauge the market and see what it looks like right now. It’s too early to tell if anything will definitely happen on the Mets’ end, so it will be fascinating to see what ends up happening.

But in case nothing occurs for the Mets at the winter meetings, they could still look at free agency to fill any remaining needs. Here are four current free agents who could be great fits with the Mets.

Begin Slideshow

The 2014-15 MLB offseason began like any other.

Then everything changed.

The Milwaukee Brewers were able to fill their void at first base by trading Marco Estrada to the Toronto Blue Jays for Adam Lind. With potentially two more seasons of club control, Lind is a fantastic pickup for the Brewers, especially when we consider the cost was a spot starter who gives up way too many home runs.

The Atlanta Braves, needing to improve the starting rotation, traded right fielder Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. It was a move precipitated by new leadership in Atlanta and the untimely passing of Oscar Taveras.

Then Hanley Ramirez was scooped up by the Boston Red Sox. In and of itself, the fact that the Red Sox signed Ramirez isn’t what impacted the free-agent market. It’s that the former shortstop is slated to play left field for manager John Farrell.

And let’s not overlook the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Josh Donaldson from the Oakland A’s the day after Thanksgiving after signing Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million free-agent contract on Nov. 17.

The point we are trying to illustrate is that there have been several unexpected twists. True, it’s the nature of the business, but it’s wreaking havoc on the free-agent market.

The Braves were supposed to offload B.J. Upton, as David O’Brien from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out toward the end of the season, not the reigning Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year. And adding Miller, who has four more years of club control, set every second- and third-tier starting pitcher back one franchise.

The Red Sox went into the offseason needing to address the outfield. Melky Cabrera and Nick Markakis were options general manager Ben Cherington could have explored to fill the spot—Ramirez was not. At least he wasn’t supposed to be.

And didn’t the Blue Jays need to add a second baseman for next season? Sure, they sent Anthony Gose to the Detroit Tigers for Devon Travis, but Travis won’t be ready for another year. Now word from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is that the club is looking at Alberto Callaspo to play second, but either way, trading Lawrie along with three prospects for Donaldson seemingly came out of nowhere.

For that matter, the same can be said about the addition of Martin. After all, Dioner Navarro is under contract next season and played fairly well in 2014. Inking a catcher didn’t seem high on the list of things to accomplish.

Don’t take that the wrong way. Both moves are huge upgrades for general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ club.

It’s just that their additions (along with the others mentioned) created ripples in the market that changed the fabric of free agency. Players who thought they had an option with one club or another are finding that may not be the case.

And if you think that trades involving players like Donaldson and Heyward happen every year, think again. Sure, there are a few examples, but last offseason, the biggest move in November was the blockbuster that sent Prince Fielder and cash from the Tigers to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler.

To be sure, the move paid off for the Tigers, but when the deal was made, Fielder had just put up a 2.3 fWAR, and Kinsler finished 2013 with a 2.5 fWAR. In contrast, Donaldson finished the 2014 season with a 6.4 fWAR, and Heyward compiled a 5.1 fWAR for the Braves. The difference in talent is plain to see.

The Donaldson trade also illustrates another problem.

See, the A’s were already rumored to be interested in moving starting pitching prior to the move, and with the addition of Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin, the club now “possesses no less than nine viable starters,” per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. That makes it quite likely that general manager Billy Beane will move Jeff Samardzija or Scott Kazmir, who were both mentioned by CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder.

To that end, MLB.com’s Phil Rogers opined that it’s “hard to imagine” Samardzija is still with the club next season. As Beane said in a conference call following the Donaldson deal, his club has “spent a lot of minor league capital the past couple of years,” acquiring talent for a playoff push, per USA Today’s Gabe Lacques. Trading Samardzija for prospects makes sense.

What does that mean, though, for guys like Aaron Harang and Jason Hammel?

With Samardzija and Kazmir potentially on the block, Harang’s and Hammel’s marketability has to go down. Fact is that with no less than 10 quality rotation options on the free-agent market, it was already weakened. Taking a spot away via trade depresses the market even more.

Samardzija and Kazmir are not isolated in their availability by any means.

There is an inordinate amount of talent either attainable or already dealt. In addition to the guys we’ve touched on, Justin Upton, Brandon Moss, Evan Gattis, Yoenis Cespedes, Cole Hamels, Mat Latos, Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Kemp and a host of others have been floated about in various scenarios by multiple sources.

True, most of those names are entering their final season before hitting free agency or have a large amount of money left on their deals, but that is a lot of talent. Better yet, some of them could be eligible to receive a qualifying offer next season. And with that comes a compensatory draft pick should the relationship end after one year and the player signs elsewhere.

In other words, going for it with a short-term acquisition may not be as foreboding as it once was. There is the chance of getting at least part of a lost prospect back by way of the compensatory draft pick.

Also worth noting this offseason is the way the contracts are structured.

What should jump out is that with the exception of the contract given to Yasmany Tomas, none of the free agents have signed for more than five years. And none of them have hit nine figures.

It would seem, then, that position players like Chase Headley, Nelson Cruz and Melky Cabrera can forget about signing four- or five-year contracts. Flat out, if Ramirez, who is the best pure hitter among the bunch, doesn’t get more than four guaranteed years and can’t top $90 million, Cruz can forget about getting $60 million through 2018.

The math doesn’t add up. Several players are going to sign for less money than they assumed they would because of the way the market is developing.

Now some of the remaining free agents are immune from the financial squeeze. Andrew Miller, Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and David Robertson are going to sign immense contracts.

Lester and Scherzer are simply exceptional pitchers capable of being the ace on all but a few clubs. No amount of competition will prevent the two of them from signing for a king’s ransom.

Miller and Robertson are in a class unto themselves this offseason, and it’s not just about their production in 2014. Since 2012, for example, Miller has pitched to a 2.57 ERA, 1.050 WHIP and recorded 13.6 strikeouts every nine innings. Robertson has been as impressive for a longer period of time, putting up a 2.2 ERA and a 1.097 WHIP over the last four years.

Because of those stats, Miller and Robertson should approach (perhaps surpass in latter’s case) the four-year, $50 million deal given to Jonathan Papelbon by the Philadelphia Phillies in advance of the 2012 season.

By and large, however, the market is flooded with options, pushing down the amount of money front offices around MLB are willing to commit. Simply put, there won’t be any position players inking contract for more than $100 million. And let’s not forget that just last season, three players—Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury and Robinson Cano—signed new contracts well in excess of that mark.

What a difference an offseason makes.

Unless otherwise noted, all traditional, team and advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com. Contract information pulled from Cot’s Contracts. Transaction, injury and game information are courtesy of MLB.com.

Follow @MatthewSmithBR

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes it’s best not to spend all of your money in one place. For MLB clubs, sometimes it’s best not to spend all of their money in one offseason. 

That’s starting to look like the case this year. The winter meetings are still a week away, but already the free-agent market is getting light. 

As far as impact bats are concerned, almost all of the top options have already been snatched up. Aside from Melky Cabrera, the most dangerous player yet to be signed is Chase Headley—and there’s nothing particularly dangerous about a third baseman who posted a .700 OPS in 2014. 

As for the arms, the three most prominent names—Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields—are still up for grabs. That’s a solid trio, but it’s nothing compared to the class of hurlers that is slated to hit the free-agent block after the 2015 season. 

Here’s a look at the biggest names, via MLBTradeRumors.com.

• Johnny Cueto
• Doug Fister
• Hisashi Iwakuma
• David Price
• Jeff Samardzija
• Jordan Zimmermann

Not all of the starters will make it to the open market. Some could still be re-signed by their respective teams. Others, like Jordan Zimmermann, could be traded and ink extensions with their new employers.

Earlier in the offseason, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo didn’t rule about the possibility of dealing a free agent-to-be like the right-hander. 

“The return has to be right,” said Rizzo, via James Wagner of The Washington Post. “The balance of the return has to be right for the player you’re giving up.”

Even if a pitcher or two drops off that list, there’s still going to a flood of big-time starters available next winter. That’s especially true because the tier below is full of quality names too. 

• Mark Buehrle
• Scott Kazmir
• Ian Kennedy
• John Lackey
• Mat Latos
• Mike Leake
• Kyle Lohse
• Rick Porcello
• Alfredo Simon

With so many starting pitchers set to become available at the same time, there’s no question that there will be some serious bargains to be had. For that reason, it might not be so bad to miss out on aces like Lester and Scherzer, who are on the verge of cashing in. 

Lester has already received a monster offer from the Chicago Cubs, per the MLB Twitter account. 

.@Cubs have reportedly offered @JLester31 a six-year deal worth north of $135 million: http://t.co/m1n5rPz8ZV pic.twitter.com/b0ji1qzMbb

— MLB (@MLB) November 25, 2014

Meanwhile, Scherzer is looking to rake in “significantly more than the six-year, $144 million deal that the [Detroit] Tigers offered” last spring, per Buster Olney of ESPN (subscription required). 

Based on the way the 2016 free-agent class is shaping up, patience is the key for teams around the league—at least for the teams seeking front-line starters. 

Waiting around for next offseason isn’t necessarily the best strategy when it comes to those teams shopping for bats. Next year’s pool of position players isn’t devoid of talent, as Yoenis Cespedes, Ian Desmond, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton headline the group. 

Still, like this year, the options are limited. That’s bad news for MLB teams in need of offense, but great news for the likes of Cespedes and Upton, who are on track for major paydays next winter. 

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

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Major League Baseball winter meetings are set to kick off in a week, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be active players in Southern California.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have already made several minor moves since taking over the front office in October, but there are still question marks facing the team in the midst of a culture shift.

Although the Dodgers are still one of the richest organizations in baseball, the tactic of throwing money at elite free agents has seemingly been replaced by a more analytical and cost-effective approach to improving the team.

Here are five predictions for what Los Angeles will ultimately decide to do at the upcoming winter meetings.

Begin Slideshow

While impact hitters like Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez have already landed monster deals, the MLB free-agent market for pitchers has been remarkably quiet. 

So far this offseason, there just hasn’t been a ton of buzz surrounding top arms like Max Scherzer and David Robertson. One reason for the lack of activity is that clubs appear to be waiting for the market to set itself once the first domino falls.

Last winter, the bidding on free-agent pitchers didn’t take off until Masahiro Tanaka inked his megadeal with the New York Yankees. A similar situation is once again playing out this offseason. 

What follows is a rundown of the impact free agents who simply aren’t getting enough attention. Pitchers dominate the list, but there’s also room for last season’s home run king.

Begin Slideshow