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After trading away closer Jim Johnson in early December, the Baltimore Orioles locked in on free agent Grant Balfour as their ideal replacement.

They even reached a two-year agreement with the right-hander this past Tuesday, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Only a routine physical exam stood between them and an official deal.

However, executive vice president Dan Duquette stated that Balfour’s performance on the exam didn’t meet Baltimore’s standards, according to Kubatko:

“The Orioles were disappointed that we couldn’t complete a contract with Grant Balfour,” Duquette said. “The reason is the club’s not satisfied with the results of the physical exam.

“We would never say never or close the door, but we’re turning our attention elsewhere for now to look at some other options to try to staff our team and try to build a contending team for 2014.”

Now, the other 29 MLB teams have an opportunity to get him. Question is, what exactly will they be getting?

Per Kubatko, Duquette wants “to protect confidentiality,” so we don’t know which of Balfour’s bodily regions is damaged, nor can we infer what the severity of the injury is.

The only irrefutable statement that can be made about the fiery Australian is that he’s among the best closer candidates remaining:

*Finished 2013 on the disabled list (shoulder strain).

If whatever ails Balfour is benign enough to heal prior to Opening Day 2014, then he could still be line for a multi-year deal elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there’s a possibility that he’s battling a legitimate injury. Notice the contrast between the first four and final two months of his age-35 season:

Balfour threw a lower percentage of strikes down the stretch, and his shaky results reflected that. That’s worth noting because command issues occasionally arise when an injured pitcher modifies his delivery to avoid using a sensitive muscle group.

Then again, Balfour’s velocity barely varied at all throughout the summer. According to Brooks Baseball, his fastballs averaged between 93.57 and 94.37 miles per hour during every month of the regular season.

Balfour fans can breathe sighs of relief. If there were a torn ligament in his elbow or shoulder, for example, we would expect to observe reduced heat.

Nonetheless, the Orioles must’ve uncovered something substantial. The fact that Duquette expressed no willingness to renegotiate with Balfour after valuing him at $15 million mere days ago indicates that he probably isn’t fit to take the mound at the moment.

Perhaps Balfour’s heavy workload toward the end of 2012 has caught up to him.

The Oakland Athletics used him on five consecutive days from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 in order to ensure an AL West title. In each of those last four appearances, he completed a full inning on zero days’ rest. That’s a streak matched by only 10 pitchers so far this millennium!

But so much for that theory. Balfour tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’s physically in All-Star form:

Grant Balfour is mystified by #Orioles backing out of deal because of health concerns, tells me he is “100 percent fine.” #Athletics

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 20, 2013

More Balfour: “My shoulder is fine, everything is fine. I’m ready to come out there in the ninth inning, do what I do.” #Athletics #Orioles

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 20, 2013

Although Balfour doesn’t consider himself a buy-low candidate, the fact remains that Baltimore backed away from him, thus shrinking his list of potential suitors. As a free agent, he’s fighting for the best contract possible, and other teams recognize that, so they’re more likely to trust Duquette‘s words over his.

Prior to that aforementioned stretch of August/September sloppiness, Balfour had spent the previous few years flaunting above-average swing-and-miss stuff and complementing it with solid strike-throwing ability. Consistency distinguished him from Chris Perez, Fernando Rodney and everybody else who’s still on the market.

Therefore, the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners (among others) shouldn’t hesitate to inquire about Balfour and haggle for a discounted-yet-incentive-laden deal.

Ely is a national MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a sportscaster for 90.5 WVUM in Miami. He wants to make sweet, social love with all of you on Twitter.

Follow @MrElyminator

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It has been a wild offseason for the Boston Red Sox following their 2013 World Series title.

Boston has already endured a slew of transactions that have taken place since the team walked off with the World Series trophy.

Gone from the mix are players like outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Yankees and Marlins, respectively.

The Red Sox have welcomed in players like catcher A.J. Pierzynski and relievers Burke Badenhop and Edward Mujica.  Boston also made sure to bring back first baseman Mike Napoli.

On paper, it would appear as if the Red Sox are poised to defend their team with a solid core of talent along with some young prospects like Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts.

In addition, the pitching—in the rotation and in the bullpen—is both talented and deep.  That alone makes the Red Sox formidable in 2014.

Yet Boston still has a few critical questions that remained unanswered. 

General manager Ben Cherington has had a relatively quiet offseason in comparison to some of the other deals made around the league.  Can the Red Sox expect much more this offseason?

Only time will tell.

Still, let us evaluate some of the key questions that Boston needs to evaluate between now and spring training.

Determining the Leadoff Hitter

The loss of Ellsbury hurts the Red Sox in a number of ways. 

Aside from Boston being forced to see its former center fielder in uniform with their chief rival, the team now has to consider the absence of production from the leadoff position.

Ellsbury owns a career .350 on-base percentage and batted .298 in 2013.  He also bolstered those numbers with a league-leading 52 stolen bases in the same season.

Those numbers are going to be difficult to replicate.

Nick O’Malley of Masslive.com sums up why replacing Ellsbury with a bona fide leadoff hitter remains one of Boston’s top priorities this offseason.  He writes, “The Red Sox have some in-house candidates to take up the full-time leadoff role.  Yet, there’s been little indication that the team is comfortable with any of them handling the duty as the primary option.”

He goes on to state that Bradley, Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia are the most likely candidates on the roster to fill this void.

Out of that foursome, either Victorino or Nava appear to be the front-runners to take over the job—something that has been confirmed by Red Sox manager John Farrell, per Rob Bradford of WEEI:

Ideally, Boston would like to have Pedroia‘s bat further down in the lineup and also wait and see if Bradley can develop in what could be his first full season as an everyday player.

Cherington described Bradley’s chances to assume the role, via O’Malley:

Yeah, I mean, [Bradley’s] gotten on base his whole life—college and minor leagues, obviously, at a very high rate.  So, that’s what we see as the No. 1 criteria.  We expect that in time he’ll be a good on-base big leaguer and that would make him a candidate to do that.  But I think, you know, when we’re thinking about lineups in the offseason anyway, we’re focused on guys that we know will be on the team and have some history of getting on base in the big leagues.  I think that’s how John feels.

Unless a major move is made between now and the start of the season, Boston looks as if it will employ either Victorino or Nava in the leadoff role and hope for the best. 

Setting the table in front of the heart of the Red Sox’s big hitters—David Ortiz and Napoli—was a critical component to the team’s success in 2013.

Expect no difference this upcoming season.

Determining a Starting Center Fielder

Directly related to the aforementioned question, the Red Sox still have a looming concern in Ellsbury‘s wake.

Pending changes, it appears as if Boston will stick with Bradley in center and bank on him earning that everyday role.  The only question is whether or not he is ready for this challenge.

Bradley hit only .189 with a .280 on-base percentage in limited action last season. 

If the Red Sox plan on utilizing Bradley in this situation, he will have to post up numbers better than that.

This is further described by Ron Chimelis of Masslive.com, who writes:

Trusting Bradley to replace Ellsbury is the only part of the plan that makes me edgy, even though there is every reason to think he will turn into a quality major leaguer someday soon. … Mature for his age, he does not turn 24 until April.  Is he really ready to replace Ellsbury?  Defensively, there is no problem.  Bradley might actually be an upgrade because of his better arm.

Chimelis also notes that Boston has faith in Bradley becoming a great player.  The only question is whether or not that will happen next year.

There remains a possibility that the Red Sox acquire another outfielder—preferably one with a big bat that can help protect the middle of Boston’s lineup.

While the hype that surrounded a possible trade for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp appears to have died down, there are other options.

Shin-Soo Choo remains an option, and the Red Sox have taken a serious look, but there has not been a lot of speculation that Boston is close to making him an offer, per NESN:

Barring any significant acquisition, it appears as if the Red Sox are comfortable with Bradley taking over the job.

Hopefully for his own sake, he will showcase his major league capability in 2014, which will make all the questions surrounding his readiness seem foolish.

What to Do with Stephen Drew?

Out of all the questions Boston has to answer this offseason, the curious case of Stephen Drew is, perhaps, the least critical.

In a way, the Red Sox are in a prime position regarding how they want to handle the now-free-agent shortstop. 

A compensatory first-round pick is associated with Drew if he signs elsewhere—given how Boston offered him a qualifying deal earlier this offseason. 

That has certainly discouraged some interest around the league and Drew remains a free agent.

Drew and the Red Sox continue to look for a deal, and Farrell has reiterated that he would like Drew to return, via Ricky Doyle of NESN.com:

“Both sides would like to see this come together,” Farrell said on WEEI’s Hot Stove Show (via Doyle). “But at the same time, as we all know, he’s looking to see what best opportunities would be out there for him.”

Yet if Drew does depart via free agency, Boston is perfectly capable of supplanting the void with Bogaerts at shortstop while giving Will Middlebrooks a chance to hold down third base in a starting role.

The team also traded for utility infielder Jonathan Herrera on Dec. 18. 

This unique situation is a good one to be in from the Red Sox’s vantage point.  They can afford to be diligent and see how Drew’s market shapes out. 

If they re-sign him, fine.  If not, the team is perfectly comfortable moving forward.

There is little wrong with that.

It is easy to be frustrated with a team that made relatively few splashy moves in the wake of what has been a wild offseason thus far.

Cherington and the Red Sox have not been actively involved in many of the bigger deals made in recent weeks—much to the chagrin of writers like Christopher L. Gasper The Boston Globe.

Gasper writes that Boston is doing too little this offseason and criticizes the hopes the Red Sox have in the formula that worked so well for them in the 2013 season—staying away from long-term deals and signing middle-class free agents.

He writes, “They may have reinvented themselves, but they didn’t reinvent the wheel.”

While no one would initially complain about a blockbuster deal that could still potentially be made, this Red Sox team is still in good shape.

The pitching, ever so important, remains intact.  Aside from a few questions which have been discussed, the batting order is sound.

Even if Boston’s “wheel” was not reinvented, there are few reasons to assume it will not continue to roll forward.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.  Contractual information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts unless otherwise specified.

Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Boston Red Sox.  Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.

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Through less than two months of MLB offseason activity, the following teams have already done irreparable damage to themselves.

We’ve witnessed baseball’s version of binge eating from several clubs this winter, those who made big-name acquisitions that they’ll inevitably regret, both in the short term and several years down the road. Meanwhile, heavy-spending franchises who expect to contend immediately made questionable decisions that will ultimately impede them from qualifying for the 2014 playoffs.

Although additional shrewd moves can minimize these mistakes, they won’t fully offset them.

*Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise specified.

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The Tampa Bay Rays have been relatively quiet, as usual, this offseason.

Some teams make big splashes in the offseason, signing expensive high-profile players, while others make ripples. The big splashes garner a lot of attention, are seen and heard from further distances and are projected to make a significant impact immediately.

Small ripples make less noise and attract a smaller national audience. Instead of a single large splash, multiple ripples need to be put together with the intent of building a sustained winner.

For small-market teams on a tight budget, like the Rays, ripples are the way business is conducted.

Grades for the offseason moves are based on the value received for the costs of the transaction. Average players who add depth who are signed to an average contract would be a good move compared to subpar performers signed to a long-term deal.

Here are the grades for the Rays’ offseason moves so far.

All statistics and salary numbers courtesy of baseball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The old adage of “you win some, you lose some” sure rings true when it comes to the moves the Oakland Athletics have made so far this offseason. Assembling a bullpen of this caliber could be an A+ by itself. But the A’s failed to fill crucial holes with big trade chips.

The starting rotation is young and talented.

Bartolo Colon was the lone veteran of the staff, but he became a free agent. Rather than look internally, the A’s filled Colon’s spot in the rotation with another free agent.

The bullpen was outstanding in 2013. At times there were moments when fans were forced to hold their breath, but in general, they were a force to be reckoned with. And Grant Balfour’s consecutive win streak was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, he too is a free agent, so the A’s went ahead and filled his spot through a trade.

On paper, the lineup is filled with quality hitters from Yoenis Cespedes to Brandon Moss. But with so many question marks—can Josh Donaldson and Jed Lowrie repeat career years?—it would have been wise to solidify this lineup.

They didn’t.

Instead, Oakland made one strength stronger and one weakness weaker. All the while they tinkered with the farm.

As we head into the holiday break, see how well the A’s did on their end-of-year finals.

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There are still diamonds in the rough to be found on the free-agent market in MLB.

A few big names in their primes are surrounded by a host of inconsistent veterans in the available talent pool, but this is still a crucial part of the offseason even with most of the marquee players off the table. There are only a few days left until the holidays, so expect a small flurry of action in the near future.

Here’s a position-by-position look at under-the-radar players, international and domestic, who could still have big impacts on their teams in 2014 and beyond.

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For some position groups on the MLB free-agent market, it’s down to slim pickings following the torrid pace of the offseason action so far. For other spots on the diamond, there are still several marquee players available after the ho-hum winter meetings wrapped up earlier this week.

At this point of the offseason, many teams have started to focus on filling their benches with low-cost veterans. With stars like Robinson Cano, Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury off the open market, new names have emerged as the top players at their respective positions.

There are only about two months left before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, so let’s take an updated look at the top three players from each position.

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And then there was one.

With news Friday that James Loney has re-upped with the Tampa Bay Rays for $21 million over three years, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, there aren’t many first basemen of note left on the free-agent market.

In fact, it’s pretty much just Kendrys Morales, the former Seattle Mariners slugger, who hit .277 with 23 homers and 80 RBI last year.

Recently, other free agents like Mike Napoli (Boston Red Sox), Justin Morneau (Colorado Rockies), Corey Hart (Seattle Mariners), Garrett Jones (Miami Marlins) all inked new deals, leaving the pickings rather slim.

And yet, there are still teams searching for and in need of help at first base, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros.

That’s why aside from Morales and the few other bottom-of-the-barrel free agents, there’s also a trade market developing at the position. Here, then, are some names to follow among readily available first basemen.

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The baseball world is still awaiting word from Japan on whether star right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will be made available for MLB free agency after the league and Nippon Professional Baseball recently agreed to a new posting system.

Tanaka‘s decision will certainly have a big impact on the entire market for starting pitching, as most of the marquee names are still available. Here’s a look at three of the top free-agent starters and predictions on where they’ll end up by Opening Day.

Matt Garza, RHP

Garza’s name surfaced frequently during the MLB winter meetings, following weeks of relatively few rumors regarding the right-hander. As opposed to Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez, who were extended qualifying offers by their clubs, Garza doesn’t have draft-pick compensation attached to him since he was traded midseason.

That makes him a much more attractive option that could lead to a bigger payday than his contemporaries. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Garza’s market has been thinned to three top suitors:

While LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the Twins are still in the Garza sweepstakes, it’s hard to see them spending the $60 million or so it could cost to sign him. The team has already committed $49 million to Ricky Nolasco and $24 million to Phil Hughes this offseason, with Jerry Crasnick of ESPN noting the Twins have an eye on Paul Maholm, a cheaper alternative:

The Diamondbacks have a major need in the rotation, especially after trading away promising young pitcher Tyler Skaggs to the Los Angeles Angels in the Mark Trumbo deal. But Steve Gilbert of MLB.com speculated Arizona would be hesitant to go beyond a three-year deal, which could be a major sticking point for Garza, who is expected to get at least four years after Jason Vargas and Nolasco each were able to.

That leaves the Los Angeles Angels as the favorite, and as Jim Bowden of ESPN noted, the team has some payroll flexibility heading into 2014:

Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported Garza is the club’s top priority, and that there appears to be mutual interest between the two parties. Garza, 30, would be a solid addition to a rotation that already features Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson.

Prediction: Los Angeles Angels

Ervin Santana, RHP

The Kansas City Royals have opened up the checkbook this winter, reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $30.25 million pact with infielder Omar Infante on Friday after signing Vargas to a four-year, $32 million deal earlier this offseason.

Still, Jonah Keri of Grantland.com speculated Kansas City isn’t done spending:

As noted earlier, the Royals made Santana a qualifying offer this offseason, meaning he’ll cost any team that signs him a first-round draft pick.

This hurts his market value significantly, so much that Buster Olney of ESPN thinks Santana’s best option will be to return to Kansas City:

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also recently reported that the Diamondbacks have had discussions with Santana:

The big-spending New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are still out there as possible destinations for Santana, but it looks like his big asking price will come back to hurt him.

Prediction: Kansas City Royals

Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP

As Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com wrote, the market surrounding right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez has been slow to develop.

Hoynes made an interesting observation about the Indians front office, suggesting it could be waiting for Jimenez’s value to drop with time before making him an offer:

Rumors have linked Jimenez to the Orioles, Yankees, Blue Jays, Phillies, Mariners and Angels. But the rumors have been more like whispers. The Indians have remained in contact with his agent Diego Bentz of SFX Sports, but they could merely be playing a waiting game should Jimenez still be unsigned come spring training.

Like Santana, Jimenez was extended a qualifying offer earlier this offseason and his signing would cost his new team a valuable high draft pick. Heyman passed along a comment from Indians general manager Chris Antonetti, who sounded like he would welcome back Jimenez:

Jimenez has also been linked to teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, per Bernie Pleskoff of MLB.com, but he could be in a very similar situation to Santana. Jimenez is only 29 and had a dominant second half in 2013, but has been largely inconsistent the past few years. That will make other teams think twice about committing a big deal and a draft pick.

Prediction: Cleveland Indians

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The Kansas City Royals exacted their revenge on the New York Yankees, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, by outbidding them for second baseman Omar Infante. They agreed to terms Friday on a four-year, $30 million deal.

Olney visualizes the Royals’ potential Opening Day lineup, which is about as menacing as any you’ll see from a small-market team:

The Royals’ projected lineup: Aoki RF, Infante 2B, Gordon LF, Butler DH, Hosmer 1B, Perez C, Cain CF, Moustakas 3B, Escobar SS. Pretty good.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 13, 2013

But this doesn’t mean that their offseason work is complete. And rest assured, the Yankees don’t intend to hibernate through the rest of the winter, either.

Let’s consider how the Infante signing will influence the conduct of these playoff hopefuls between now and the start of the 2014 season.

What’s Next for Kansas City?

The player in the Royals organization who’s most directly affected by the Infante news is Christian Colon.

The 24-year-old was added to the 40-man roster in November, via Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star, to protect him from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft. He slashed .273/.335/.379 through 131 games at Triple-A last summer. Assistant general manager J.J. Picollo referred to Colon as a second baseman with the potential to be a “very steady, everyday player” at the major league level.

How’s he going to get that opportunity with Infante under contract through 2017?

Presumably by changing teams.

The versatile Emilio Bonifacio, who has substantial MLB experience in both the infield and outfield, now slides into the utility role that Colon was hoping to compete for in spring training.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore could use Colon as the centerpiece of a package for a controllable starting pitcher. Although Moore inked left-hander Jason Vargas to a $32 million deal in November, he’s not expected to individually replace Ervin Santana’s production.

Completing a signing of this magnitude could also be an indication that Billy Butler is getting dealt. The All-Star slugger is owed $8 million in 2014, plus there’s a 2015 club option worth $12.5 million ($1 million buyout).

Butler hogs the designated hitter’s spot on a daily basis, and that type of player has gradually become less popular around the American League. Moore even admits to Dutton that he’d like to rotate several players using the DH rule.

Either way, change seems imminent.

What’s Next for New York?

The Cincinnati Reds approached the Yankees about a Brandon Phillips trade during the winter meetings, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

They rejected it.

Now, this Infante development could send Bombers general manager Brian Cashman begging to get his seat back at the negotiating table. That’s because beyond Phillips, there don’t appear to be any potentially available second basemen who are definitively better than New York’s own Kelly Johnson.

The Atlanta Braves’ Dan Uggla is a year older than Phillips, owed more annually for the remainder of his contract, inferior with the glove and coming off a summer in which his strikeout total (171) nearly matched his batting average (.179). Free agent Brian Roberts never ceases to find new ways to sustain significant injuries. Mark Ellis is the oldest of them all—turns 37 in June—and although very effective in the field, he’s not a steady source of power, speed or durability.

On the bright side, settling for Roberts or Ellis—or ignoring the second-base market entirely—encourages the Yankees to pursue top-tier free-agent starting pitching. Masahiro Tanaka appears to be the top priority, but Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez also compare favorably to the question marks currently filling out the back end of the club’s projected rotation.

The New York Post conveniently monitors the Yankees’ 2014 payroll to show how much wiggle room they have left before exceeding the $189 million luxury-tax threshold.

Here’s how they’re shaping out:

Looks like the Yankees have maxed out, right?

Keep in mind, however, that the signings of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran have given them a surplus of outfielders. Unless an injury occurs early in spring training, either Brett Gardner, Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki or Vernon Wells will depart prior to the regular season.

And how could we forget about the Alex Rodriguez saga? If his 211-game suspension holds, there will be another $27.5 million removed from their books. Even a reduction to 50 or 100 games would enable Cashman to acquire one of the aforementioned arms.

Missing out on Infante was certainly a disappointment for the Yankees, but they won’t dwell on it for long.

Ely is a national MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a sportscaster for 90.5 WVUM in Miami. He wants to make sweet, social love with all of you on Twitter.

Follow @MrElyminator

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com