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Coming off an unexpected last-place finish in 2014, the Boston Red Sox look to be a major player in free agency this offseason.  Big names like Jon Lester, James Shields and Pablo Sandoval are being widely discussed as players Boston may go after.

On the other hand, which available free agents should the Red Sox stay away from?

The following three players are among those most likely to be sought after this winter, and each could potentially fill a need for Boston.  However, there are also a variety of reasons why it’s in the Red Sox’s best interests to avoid them altogether.

Francisco Liriano

Last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Francisco Liriano went 7-10 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 175 strikeouts in 162.1 innings.  There’s no question Boston might desire a left-handed starter with those kind of numbers, but is that really the pitcher the Red Sox would be getting?

The 162.1 innings were the second most Liriano has ever thrown in his career.  He’s never pitched more than 191.2 innings, and in four of his eight seasons as a starter, Liriano was on the mound for less than 137 innings.  Durability is clearly an issue for the 31-year-old.

In 2014, National League pitchers had a combined ERA of 3.66, while their American League counterparts posted a 3.82 ERA.  Rarely is it a surprise to see a starter struggle after switching leagues from the NL to the AL.  In Liriano’s case, there’s already an abundance of data to go on from the first six years of his career.

Over 840 innings in the AL, Liriano had a 4.40 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.  In his last AL season, 2012, Liriano was 6-12 with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP—that is not a pitcher Boston should be interested in.

Hanley Ramirez

One-time Red Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez is a shortstop by trade, but he could come back to Boston to play third base.  Ramirez manned the hot corner for 98 games during the 2012 season with the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chad Finn of Boston.com makes a case for the Red Sox to pursue Ramirez, writing:

This is a player who was eighth in the MVP balloting in 2013 — despite playing just 86 games. When you hit .345/.402/.638 in that span, with 20 homers, your half-season is better than most players’ full season. He wasn’t as good last year, and missed 34 games. But he did play 157 in 2012, and he was one of the most durable players in baseball for a five-year stretch during his Marlins youth.

From 2006-2010, Ramirez batted .313 while averaging 25 home runs, 78 RBI, 39 steals and 152 games per season.  The problem is, it’s not 2010 anymore.

Over the last four years, Ramirez hit .277 with average numbers of 17 home runs, 66 RBI, 16 steals and only 116 games played.

Ramirez is no longer a superstar, but he’s most likely going to demand superstar money.  Andy Martino of the New York Daily News predicts four years and $68 million.  The Dodgers already extended Ramirez the standard one-year $15.3 million qualifying offer, meaning the Red Sox would have to part with a draft pick (in the second round because of their poor record in 2014) in order to sign him.  The same is true of Liriano.

Max Scherzer

Of all the free agents available this offseason, Max Scherzer is generally considered to be the cream of the crop.  From Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:

To turn down a guaranteed $144 million contract, as Scherzer did last spring, takes an enormous amount of faith in self and elbow. And while Scherzer’s luck on balls in play waned a bit from his 2013 Cy Young season, his strikeout, walk and home run rates were practically identical over the last two seasons. Scherzer, 30, wants $200 million, and even if some of the highest-end teams claim they won’t go crazy on pitching contracts this winter, Scott Boras has a way of making money appear.

Boston would be better suited to let somebody else pay Scherzer $200 million and turn its attention elsewhere.  Passan also states that Jon Lester can probably be had for “somewhere in the neighborhood of the six-year, $144 million deal Cole Hamels got in 2012.”

What does Scherzer have that makes him $50 million or so better than Lester?

Both pitchers are 30 years old.  Lester owns the added bonus of being left-handed, and Scherzer does not.  The two have identical 3.58 career ERAs.  Neither pitcher has ever missed significant time due to injury, and since 2009, Scherzer‘s first full season as a starter, they each have strikingly similar statistics:

Scherzer: 91-46, 191 starts, 1183.1 innings, 1255 strikeouts, 3.61 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Lester: 89-59, 193 starts, 1241.1 innings, 1195 strikeouts, 3.52 ERA, 1.24 WHIP

Like Liriano and Ramirez, Scherzer was given a qualifying offer, so he would come at the expense of a draft pick, but since Lester was traded this past season, the Oakland A’s didn’t have that option with him.

James Shields, 32, is perceived as a tier slightly below Lester and Scherzer, but his numbers since 2009 are actually quite comparable:

Shields: 82-66, 200 starts, 1355.2 innings, 1178 strikeouts, 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

In a recent Bleacher Report article on what it would take for Boston to land Shields, I examined several current contracts of star pitchers and speculated that $100 million over five years would be more than enough to get the job done.  Does it really make any sense for the Red Sox to spend $200 million on Scherzer when they could get Lester for $150 million or Shields for $100 million?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are all sorts of numbers for general managers to crunch as they sift through the MLB free-agent market.

Sometimes, that crunching leads to a designated hitter who goes yard nearly as frequently as he punches out. Other times, it leads to a high-priced third baseman who might not be able to hit left-handed pitching. 

What follows are the tell-all stats for the top 10 stars of the 2015 MLB free-agent class. From Hanley Ramirez to Jon Lester, the players are ranked in order of the predicted values of the contracts that they’re about to rake in.

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Both Max Scherzer and Jon Lester will command big-money contracts this upcoming offseason. 

But because this is the offseason, it’s only natural to compare the two most coveted free agents in the 2015 class.

Although each pitcher is regarded as a top-tier starter, the similarities end there. Scherzer is a flame-throwing right-hander, capable of posting high strikeout totals any time he takes the hill. While Lester is no slouch when it comes to velocity, the southpaw mostly depends on heavy movement to induce weak contact on the ground.

2014 produced another stellar chapter in the careers of the two studs. Lester went 16-11 in 32 starts, posting a career low 2.46 ERA. Scherzer was equally impressive, winning 18 games and striking out over 10 per nine innings.

But who is the safer bet going forward? 

Using a variety of advanced metrics gathered from FanGraphs, we can dig deeper into each pitcher’s performances and come up with a fair comparison. However, instead of focusing on just one season of sample data, the stats used throughout the article took place over a three-year span from 2012-14.

Standard Statistics 

On the surface, the two aces have posted similar numbers when it comes to typical pitching stats. 

Age is often a critical factor when evaluating free agents, but in this case, both pitchers enter the market at 30 years of age. 

Lester and Scherzer have also been able to remain relatively healthy over the past three seasons. You won’t find two more durable guys in all of MLB, as each ranks in the top 10 in starts and top 11 in innings pitched since 2012. 

Standard stats provide enough data for the casual observer to judge if a player is good or not, but they lack the necessary detail that allows for meaningful comparisons.

So let’s move on to the more advanced metrics, starting with some rate statistics. 

Rate Statistics 

Strikeout rate and walk rate are two stats that a pitcher actually has control over.

Obviously, more strikeouts and fewer walks are the ultimate goal for any pitcher, but using a metric that measures on a nine-inning scale helps the stats become easier to understand.

Strikeout percentage and walk percentage are similar methods that factor how many strikeouts or walks a pitcher records in relation to batters faced. 

Here’s how Lester and Scherzer compare in this aspect:

As the numbers show, Scherzer is a strikeout machine. Over the last three seasons, only Yu Darvish ranks higher in K/9 and strikeout percentage. His ability to fan opposing hitters is Scherzer’s biggest asset, as he can wiggle out of jams by allowing no contact. 

Scherzer’s knack for the strikeout is obviously aided by a blazing fastball. But Scherzer’s average fastball velocity of 92.8 in 2014 was actually the lowest of his career. To counter this inevitable drop in velocity, his changeup usage increased to a career-high last season. Continued strikeout numbers with diminishing velocity and the continued improvement of his changeup bode well when projecting Scherzer’s future production.

Need some evidence? How about Scherzer’s nine-strikeout performance against the Twins in September? Check out the 33-second mark to see his changeup in action against Kennys Vargas:

For Lester, seven strikeouts a game is still impressive. The keys to this comparison are virtual dead-even walk statistics.

Scherzer is striking out nearly three more batters a game than Lester while walking an almost identical amount. This isn’t a knock on Lester, but strikeouts are arguably the most translatable stat for a pitcher. With more strikeouts and similar walk totals, Scherzer bests Lester in this aspect of pitching.

To better understand the difference in strikeouts between the two aces, let’s see how the stat impacts each starter’s run prevention.

ERA Simulators 

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. 

ERA has widely been regarded as one of the most important stats when evaluating a pitcher’s performance.

The problem with ERA is that it is highly dependent on luck, sequencing and defense. Fielding Independent Pitching, Expected Fielding Independent Pitching and Skill-Interactive ERA have actually started to become more appropriate than ERA in recent years. 

The below table shows the difference between Lester and Scherzer in ERA simulators:

Pretty convincing, right? Scherzer is better than Lester in every category and by significant margins. 

To better explain FIP, here’s a quote from FanGraphs:

FIP is a measurement of a pitcher’s performance that strips out the role of defense, luck, and sequencing, making it a more stable indicator of how a pitcher actually performed over a given period of time than a runs allowed based statistic that would be highly dependent on the quality of defense played behind him, for example.

FIP focuses on the results a pitcher can control: strikeouts, walks, HBP and home runs. Scherzer betters Lester in each of those stats, aiding his FIP supremacy.

SIERA and xFIP take that concept further. SIERA is especially useful at predicting future production, because it takes into account balls in play. As FanGraphs puts it, SIERA “attempts to explain why certain pitchers are more successful at limiting hits and preventing runs.”

Any way you want to slice it, Scherzer’s been better over the past three seasons at preventing runs from crossing the plate. FIP, xFIP and SIERA are the most accurate ERA simulators, and the data they provide are a great indicator of what the future holds.

The name of the game for a pitcher is keeping runs off the board. Once again, Scherzer is much more reliable in regard to run prevention.

Win Probability 

With the advancement of modern-day statistics, players can now be given values representing how they individually affect their team’s chances of victory. 

If you’ve been paying attention up to this point, then you’ll surely be able to guess which free-agent ace has impacted his team’s success the most since 2012:

Win Probability Added captures how an individual affects his team’s win expectancy. Not only has Scherzer been more important to his team than Lester since 2012, but the right-hander ranks fifth in WPA and third in pitching WAR in MLB during that time.

By analyzing the advanced metrics best suited to project going forward, it’s clear that Scherzer has been the better pitcher over the past few seasons.

His strikeout numbers and run prevention statistics should lead you to believe his success is more sustainable than Lester’s reliance on good defense and luck on balls in play. 

Don’t get me wrong—Lester is an elite starter in MLB. But when comparing him with Max Scherzer, there’s really no question who the stud of this free-agent class is. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The St. Louis Cardinals face a few questions during the offseason as they prepare for 2015. The team has found a successful formula by cultivating talent in their minor league system. General Manager John Mozeliak has also shown that he is not afraid to go out and find a complimentary piece on the free agent market or in trades.

The recent tragedy that cost Oscar Taveras his life has shaken the foundation of the Cardinals. While players, coaches and front office staff continue to struggle with the loss of a friend, the team also looks to the future and the struggle to move on without a talented individual.

Recently, the United Cardinal Bloggers (UCB) shared their thoughts via i70baseball on building an outfield without Oscar Taveras. The thoughts were varied and diverse. They provided a snapshot of the fans’ thoughts.

Each suggestion has merit, but five of them stood out as honest possibilities. Those options are listed here, ranked from least likely to most likely.

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Now that MLB teams are free to negotiate and sign free agents, the period of pure speculation is over. 

Tuesday marks the first official day of free agency, a long process where patience ultimately pays off. Due to qualifying offers, which players must accept or decline this week, a few mid-level players found themselves in purgatory last offseason, waiting as long as past Opening Day to sign for teams reticent to forfeit a compensatory draft pick.

As the temperature falls, the rumor mill will begin to burn its hottest with the offseason now underway. Beyond the marquee superstars, there are quite a few above-average contributors who will get paid handsomely in free agency.

Two of those guys are rumored to be staying put, but another could skip town with several clubs eager to scoop him up. Here’s the latest free-agent buzz. 

Yankees Working to Retain Chase Headley

The New York Yankees were trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they acquired Chase Headley in July, but they were also working to keep him in New York past the 2014 campaign.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that they are intent on keeping Headley as their third baseman for the foreseeable future:

The Yankees may check in on World Series hero Pablo Sandoval, but with his asking price over $100 million, they are focusing on bringing back Chase Headley for third base and have already begun those negotiations.

The Yankees like Sandoval, of course, but they are also quite comfortable with Headley, who played well for them after coming over from San Diego. Headley also found New York much more to his liking than he expected, according to people around the team.

His 31-homer season in 2012 represents a distinct outlier in his career ledger, but Headley remains a highly valuable asset due to his plate discipline and defense. The 30-year-old has notched a .347 career on-base percentage due to a 10.3 walks percentage, per FanGrapgs. He accounted for 13 Defensive Runs Saved in 2014, but changing leagues midseason messed with his shot of winning his second Gold Glove.

More postseason success will make Pablo Sandoval pricey, so the Yankees are better off staying with their guy whose skills are less appreciated but just as important. If neither of those free agents pans out, the Yankees have another option at third base when the greatest shortstop to ever don pinstripes returns. Hold on, let’s finish that thought from a safe location.

Alex Rodriguez‘s suspension officially ended at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Given their interest in retaining Headley, however, it appears clear that they don’t trust the 39-year-old’s abilities to handle the hot corner.

While the Bronx Bombers benefit from his batting eye and glove, Headley gets to enjoy the bandbox that is Yankee Stadium. Staying together behooves both sides.

Prediction: Headley signs two-year extension with Yankees

Multiple Teams Interested in David Robertson

David Robertson has a strong shot of entering 2015 as baseball’s highest-paid relief pitcher. After striking out 96 batters in 64.1 innings, the Yankees’ closer is well positioned to draw plenty of interest around the league.

According to the New York Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand, several teams will pursue Robertson: “The Yankees will extend a qualifying offer to David Robertson, though it’s unlikely the closer will accept it. A league source said no less than a half-dozen teams are interested in the righthander, who is the premier closer available and thus should command a multi-year deal.”

On Monday night, ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand confirmed that the Yankees issued Robertson the one-year qualifying offer worth $15.3 million.

In his report, Feinsand listed the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs as some of the interested squads. He added that the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers could also make a push for his services.

Robertson presents one of the most interesting cases among qualifying offers, as $15.3 million would make him baseball’s highest-paid closer in baseball, per Spotrac. He’ll likely have to sacrifice some of that 2015 salary to secure long-term job security.

The Yankees also have Dellin Betances, whose phenomenal rookie campaign drew similarities to Mariano Rivera’s 1996 debut in the bullpen. Yet losing Robertson would deflate the team’s bullpen depth, and using Betances in a traditionally rigid ninth-inning role would actually deteriorate his utility.

Gone are the days where onlookers assume no team can outbid the Yankees, especially for one of their own. Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners broke that precedent last year, so Robertson’s return to New York is far from a certainty.

Out of those potential suitors, the Cubs make the most sense to poach Robertson. They’re a big-market team with minimal long-term payroll obligations at the moment, and they’re gearing up for a return to relevancy with baseball’s best batch of position player prospects.

Since they finished in a three-way tie for MLB’s seventh-worst record, they would not have to forfeit their first-round pick, as the top 10 are protected. General manager Theo Epstein is in a perfect position to make some major noise by stealing Robertson from his former nemesis.

Prediction: Robertson signs three-year deal with Cubs

Orioles and Nick Markakis Discussing Long-Term Extension

If the Baltimore Orioles have their way, they’ll take a substantial step closer to making Nick Markakis the rare modern-play player who stays in one spot throughout his career.

The 30-year-old outfielder has played all nine big league seasons in Baltimore, hitting a career .290/.358/.435. Although he never morphed into a superstar slugger after tallying his only two 20-homer seasons in 2007 and 2008, he has remained an integral part of the team’s lineup.

The two parties are laying the groundwork for an extension to keep their thriving relationship intact. MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko has the scoop: “The Orioles and Nick Markakis should stay paired up despite his name now appearing among the list of baseball’s free agents. The two sides have been talking for weeks – I’ve heard that the framework involves a four-year deal – and I’d expect an agreement at some point in the not-too-distant future.”

Both sides sound eager to strike a deal, making this an easy one to call. Baseball Prospectus‘ Tucker Blair believes it’s an open-and-shut case.

Giving any free agent four years is a risky proposition, but less so for a polished hitter who gets by with solid contact and plate discipline rather than pure power or speed. The Orioles declined a $17.5 million option and failed to extend him a qualifying offer, but that’s likely because they want to lock down one of their mainstays beyond 2015.

Prediction: Markakis signs rumored four-year extension with Orioles.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Yasmany Tomas remains quite a mystery, or at least an unproven commodity, to many in and around Major League Baseball, but that could work in the Cuban defector-turned-free agent’s favor this offseason.

So much of the focus over the winter will be on the pitching market, headed by aces Jon Lester and Max Scherzer, as well as the consistent, durable James Shields and possibly Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda if he is posted.

But on the position-player front, there’s decidedly less high-end talent. Sure, third baseman Pablo Sandoval is positioned well to earn a big-money pact coming off his third World Series title at age 28. And Hanley Ramirez is going to get paid—probably even overpaid—by some team that’s willing to give the injury-prone soon-to-be 31-year-old occasional offensive force a chance to play shortstop.

Beyond those two, however, the biggest contracts could go to catcher Russell Martin and designated hitter Victor Martinez, two steady, proven veterans who stand out in their respective markets. But based on their ages—they’ll be entering their age-32 and age-36 seasons, respectively, in 2015—anything north of $60 million to $70 million for either would seem to be pushing it.

In light of that, just how much interest is there going to be in a soon-to-be 24-year-old, power-hitting outfielder with experience from a professional league that has funneled three other marquee major league hitters to the majors in recent years?

Try a lot.

That’s certainly the case given what’s been said and written about Tomas since he defected in June from Cuba, a country that has supplied ready-made stars like Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu the past three seasons.

And by many account, Tomas could be next in that line.

The 6’1″, 230-pound righty swinger and thrower worked out for all 30 big league teams in the Dominican Republic in September.

Tomas, who turns 24 on Nov. 14, played five seasons for the Havana Industriales in Cuba’s top pro league, the Serie Nacional, as Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com notes:

Overall, he hit 30 home runs with 104 RBIs in 205 regular-season games for the Industriales, starting in 2008. However, he never played more than 69 games during the Serie Nacional’s 90-game regular season and did not play during the 2010-11 season.

‘My dream was always to play with the best players in the world,’ Tomas said. ‘Everyone knows there is good baseball in Cuba, but Major League Baseball is the top level in the world. Everybody wants to play there.’

Despite not starting for Cuba in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Tomas went 6-for-16 (.375) with a double and a pair of home runs, one of which came against two-time defending champion Japan and was smashed well over the fence in left-center field:

While there’s much intrigue and plenty of positives, there are concerns surrounding the outfielder, too.

For one, Tomas hasn’t necessarily been in the best shape, leading some to question what his physique will look like, especially as he ages, as Keith Law of ESPN Insider (subscription required) notes:

Tomas is a stout center fielder who’ll have to move to a corner outfield spot, as he’s a below-average runner with a stiff body who could probably stand to shed some weight before he signs.

What Tomas brings is plus power, and I don’t think it’s just BP power, as he’s very short to the ball—maybe even more so than Abreu—with good hip rotation and a very quiet approach. He keeps his head steady through contact and his back leg pretty strong. However, he has below-average bat speed, unlike Abreu (whose is average or better) or Puig (whose is just ridiculous), and I’ve had multiple scouts tell me they question Tomas’ ability to hit for average against major-league pitching.

A reasonable/optimistic projection for Tomas would be an average to slightly above-average regular in left field, with 25 to 30 homers, a low OBP and below-average defense.

That sounds an awful lot like the production provided by another, but less impactful, Cuban player: Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox.

In fact, that’s just the name Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs mentions in his scouting report: “Scouts on the low-end for Tomas mention Dayan Viciedo as a comparable while more scouts think Yoenis Cespedes is a better offensive comparison, though Cespedes is quicker-twitch athlete with more speed and defense value.”

As for the financial aspect, safe to say it’s going to require a hefty investment to land Tomas.

Here’s Ben Badler of Baseball America:

Media reports continue to assume that Tomas is asking for $100 million, which is wrong. I haven’t had a team yet tell me that Tomas is asking for $100 million, just that his camp is looking for more than what Rusney Castillo got from the Red Sox. That could mean topping Castillo’s $72.5 million total contract, or it could mean beating what essentially works out to a $12 million average annual value.

The market for Cuban players has exploded in the past few years, and the deal for Tomas, who is exempt from international bonus pools because he is at least 23 years old and has played at least five seasons in a professional league, is going to reflect as much.

Cespedes got a four-year, $36 million deal with the Oakland A’s. Puig signed with the Dodgers for $42 million over seven years, and Abreu landed a $68 million contract with the White Sox through 2019.

Additionally, there are a number of teams that either could use a corner outfielder or have shown a specific interest in Tomas, including the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Some MLB higher-ups view the Phillies as the favorites, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News:

‘He makes a lot of sense for Philadelphia,’ said one rival executive, noting that that the Phillies have money, a thin farm system, and a desire to reverse their fortunes as quickly as possible. Plus, people around the game took note when GM Ruben Amaro Jr. flew to the Dominican Republic to personally scout Tomas.

The San Diego Padres, for what it’s worth, appear to be the club that has been most thorough in evaluating Tomas, as they have worked him out twice and seen him three times, according to Badler. Most recently, the Boston Red Sox held a private session with the outfielder over the weekend, per Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.

In other words, there may not yet be a clear front-runner to land Tomas, who can sign with any team at any time. But there sure as heck is a market for him—one with a number of aggressive, big-spending clubs at a time when offense, and especially power, is being valued at a premium.

Even with justifiable questions about Tomas’ physique, his readiness for the majors immediately and his ability to hit for average against big league pitchers, a contract near $100 million isn’t out of the question. And the likelihood is that Tomas will surpass the $72.5 million contract—a record amount for an international free agent from Cuba—that fellow outfielder Rusney Castillo landed from the Red Sox in August.

Speaking of Castillo, here’s what the 27-year-old had to say about his countryman back in September, per Rob Bradford of WEEI:

[Tomas is] a really high quality baseball player, and a really good person. He’s got a ton of power. For his physique, he actually moves pretty well. He’s pretty quick for a big guy.

I would compare the power to Abreu’s power. Tomas has a ton of power. Maybe not to that degree, but if you want a comparison, especially to another Cuban guy—especially when it comes to power—that’s the guy.

So at least in Castillo’s eyes, Tomas earns comparisons to Abreu, who only led all of baseball with a .581 slugging percentage as a rookie in 2014.

Evoking names like Abreu, Puig and Cespedes—each of whom have had undeniable and immediate success in the majors—for comparison purposes, even loosely, is only going to work in Tomas’ favor even more.

Same goes for the mystery and the unknowns surrounding Tomas. The allure, the potential is easy to dream on right now.

Ultimately, whether Tomas will net a near-nine-figure deal—and more importantly, whether he’ll be worth the total he does get—are, strangely, mutually exclusive questions.

The answer to the former likely is yes. The answer to the latter? Well, for the sake of whichever team inks Tomas, let’s hope he turns out to be as good as his predecessors have been.

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

With the World Series now over, MLB free agency can officially begin. The Los Angeles Dodgers are sure to be players in the market as they search for ways to improve their roster after a second consecutive disappointing playoff exit.

When looking around the diamond, positions of concern for the Dodgers include shortstop, catcher, the back end of the starting rotation and the bullpen.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a prime opportunity to make a good first impression after Los Angeles reportedly paid him $35 million over five years, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

The Dodgers extended a qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez worth $15.3 million, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, but the shortstop is expected to turn it down and sign elsewhere. Without many other free-agent options at shortstop, Los Angeles may roll with Miguel Rojas, Alex Guerrero or Erisbel Arruebarrena while waiting for the eventual promotion of top infield prospect Corey Seager.

Rather than focusing on a potential replacement for Ramirez, Friedman and the Dodgers may have their eyes on other marquee free agents this winter.

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From Pablo Sandoval to Jon Lester, it’s officially time for MLB free agents to start cashing in.

Teams from all around the league now have the chance to sift through the market to find that big bat or front-line arm. What follows are projections for which impact player each MLB team will sign this winter.

For teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, it’s not a matter of bringing in a new piece, but rather simply re-signing one of their own prominent free agents. There’s also room on the list for a prediction about where Cuban star Yasmany Tomas will end up and which club could be a dark-horse contender for Hanley Ramirez. 

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The Kansas City Royals are coming off of their most successful season in almost 30 years. Now, with an American League Championship in hand, the team faces a new set of challenges. Possibly the largest challenge of all is sustainability.

They won the American League Championship. They were within 90 feet of potentially tying the deciding World Series game. They have shown the world that they are ready to compete on the big stage. Being there once is impressive, but finding the formula to be there again in the near future is much more so.

The decisions facing the Royals this offseason are numerous. They made the first decision of the offseason when they announced that they had declined the $12.5 million option on designated hitter Billy Butler’s contract.

The decision to decline the contract option was anticipated. Now, general manager Dayton Moore has to go to work on replacing Butler in the lineup and the clubhouse. Butler, one of the longest-tenured Royals, had been employed by the team since 2008. His leadership will be missed. His bat can be replaced.

There are five options to replace Butler in Kansas City in 2015. Those options are listed here, ranked from least likely to most likely.

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The 2014 MLB season won’t reach its conclusion until a World Series champion is crowned, but fans of most teams are already looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting free-agency period.

While the market has been pretty barren in recent years, that certainly isn’t the case this time around. There is a ton of talent in terms of both starting pitching and hitting. It isn’t often that potentially elite players are up for grabs, which means there could be some frantic bidding wars this winter.

There is little more than speculation out there right now regarding teams being interested in certain players, but some fits definitely make more sense than others.

With free agency approaching, here is the latest buzz surrounding some of the top players available along with predictions for where they could ultimately end up.

Jon Lester

Starting pitcher Jon Lester had an interesting 2014 season to say the least. He started with the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox, but with the team faltering and no progress being made on a contract extension, he was shockingly dealt to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for power-hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

The veteran southpaw was a stalwart atop Oakland’s rotation, but a loss to the Kansas City Royals in the American League Wild Card Game ended the Athletics’ season prematurely. Now that the A’s are out, the focus shifts toward Lester’s future.

One thing that seems to be fairly certain is that he won’t be back in Oakland. According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, Lester recently acknowledged that he was acquired strictly as a rental player.

I came out here knowing what I am. I’m a two-month rental and hopefully I can somehow help win a World Series for the Oakland A’s. It eases a lot of the questioning of the ‘What are you going to do?’ Everybody knows it’s two months and then probably not sign a contract with the Oakland A’s. We’re going to go our separate ways and go into free agency.

There is no doubt that Lester will have a ton of suitors on the open market. In addition to being a lefty, he is a two-time World Series champion who is right around his prime age at 30. Also, Lester is coming off the best season of his career with a 16-10 record, 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts.

One distinct possibility is a return to Boston. The Red Sox have a penchant for retooling and becoming contenders quickly. Bringing Lester back would undoubtedly speed up the process.

Per ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes shortly after Lester was traded, there were rumblings that the Red Sox plan to get him back:

Free agency is a two-way street, though, which means that Lester has to reciprocate the interest. One person who believes that the hurler still has a soft spot for the Sox is ESPN’s Skip Bayless, according to ESPN First Take on Twitter:

If the Red Sox are able to lure Lester back, then they will have essentially acquired Cespedes for only Jonny Gomes. There is no guarantee that the two sides will come together since they couldn’t do so previously, but Lester’s relationship with the organization makes it a distinct possibility.

Prediction: Lester goes back to Boston

Russell Martin

Catcher Russell Martin has long been a valuable player due to his defense and his pop at the plate, but his level of play reached new heights in 2014 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In addition to throwing out nearly 40 percent of the runners who attempted to steal on him, Martin hit .290 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI. Martin also had an on-base percentage of over 40 percent, which was a new career high. His renewed efficiency at the plate came as somewhat of a surprise since he hadn’t hit better than .250 since 2008.

Martin proved to be a complete player in 2014, which is something that can be said about very few backstops. He was one of the biggest keys to the Bucs returning to the playoffs for the second straight year, and it would unquestionably be a huge loss if he decides to sign elsewhere.

The Pirates were crushed 8-0 in the National League Wild Card Game by the San Francisco Giants, but the fans still showed Martin a ton of respect in his final at-bat. According to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Martin leaving would be just as demoralizing to the fanbase as the organization:

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding Martin’s future, and not even he seems to know what is on the horizon, per Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the market promises to be huge for Martin. There is a dearth of quality catchers in the league right now, and plenty of good, big-money teams could use one.

With that said, the Pirates won’t go down without a fight. In fact, Pirates owner Bob Nutting admitted that he would be willing to overpay in order to keep a player as important as Martin, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Russ Martin has been a priority for the organization. As we’ve made priorities, we’ve found opportunities to stretch. He’s an example of a player we’re going to need to do what we can. We’re going to need to stretch. We’re probably going to go beyond what a rational deal is. He’s a player who we love and respect and we hope he’s back.

The fact that a small-market team like the Pirates intend to be competitive in the race for Martin has to be promising for supporters. Martin has helped build something very special in Pittsburgh, and it is easy envisioning him wanting to stay if the Bucs are able to offer a reasonable contract.

Pittsburgh has reached a point where it needs to retain top players or else risk falling back into obscurity. Because of that, the Pirates will find a way to keep Martin in the fold.

Prediction: Martin remains in Pittsburgh

Max Scherzer

The Detroit Tigers are considered one of the top contenders to win the 2014 World Series due largely to their impressive stable of starting pitchers. If they are unable to get the job done this year, though, their rotation is potentially in line to suffer a major hit.

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer has been Detroit’s ace all season long, and it can certainly be argued that he has been almost as good as he was last year. With an 18-5 record, 3.15 ERA and a staggering 252 strikeouts, the 30-year-old righty will once again be in the running for top pitching honors.

With two consecutive seasons of dominance under his belt, Scherzer is set to hit the open market at the perfect time. The Tigers seem resigned to the notion that they won’t be able to keep him, as they made a bold move by acquiring David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the trade deadline.

In the wake of that move, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times was among those who felt it meant the end of Scherzer‘s tenure in Detroit beyond 2014:

It can be argued that Scherzer will be pursued more than any other free agent, especially if he turns in a strong postseason performance. All of the league’s heavy hitters promise to be in the running, but there is a somewhat surprising candidate that could potentially steal him.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Chicago Cubs are looking to add an ace and make a big move in free agency. He mentioned both Scherzer and Lester as potential targets in order to replace Jeff Samardzija, who was traded to Oakland.

The Cubbies have some power arms in their rotation such as Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks, but they definitely need a go-to guy at the top. Scherzer fits the bill, and he could represent their transition from the basement to contention in the NL Central.

Chicago is stacked with big-time offensive prospects like Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez as well, so brighter days are on the horizon. If the Cubs are willing to pony up enough money, they may be able to convince Scherzer that the rebuild is almost over.

Prediction: Scherzer signs with Cubs

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