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The action was modest through the first two days of the Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., with a couple of secondary-type signings taking place, as well as the interesting three-way trade between the Angels, Diamondbacks and White Sox.

There figure to be at least a few more transactions before the Meetings disband, however, as the Orioles were reportedly on the verge of making a notable free-agent signing on Tuesday night, while the Marlins were reportedly motivated to make a trade and were getting plenty of interest from potential suitors.

Here are six moves that I could see going down before the all the sun bathing wraps up and everyone heads back to the cold-weather regions being pounded by snow and rain. Not that I’m jealous or anything.

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Undervalued assets, in dollars or production, are the key to fielding a successful team.

Thus far, the offseason has been highlighted by contracts in excess of $150 million to Jacoby Ellsbury and $240 million to Robinson Cano, but it’s the smaller, less talked about moves that could pay major dividends in 2014. 

With revenue rising around the sport, free-agent players are receiving eye-opening offers and signing them without hesitation. Due to the cost of those free agents, general managers are holding onto their prospects, hoping for cheap labor to impact the club within a few seasons.

As the sport takes center stage in Disney World, we await the next major signing or trade, but often, it’s the smaller pacts or less publicized trades that go without the coverage they deserve.

Here are the six biggest steals of the offseason thus far. From one-year contracts to trades, the six players changing addresses all can provide more value than their most recent transaction suggests.

*All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.

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Front offices from across the league will spend the MLB winter meetings in an attempt to improve their teams. However, some clubs are being more aggressive than others.

While no one is giving up on the 2014 season before it even starts, a few organizations are looking for opportunities to get younger and save money by trading away established players. Of course, there will always be contenders on the other side looking for potential stars to help in the upcoming year.

There is still a long time before Opening Day, but here is the latest trade buzz from around the league. 

Philadelphia Phillies Willing to Give Up Pitching

After building up a rotation full of All-Stars in an attempt to contend for a World Series title, the Phillies are now ready to break it apart.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that while the team is looking to contend in 2014, it will still hear possible options to help the future:

[Phillies] have told other teams that they are willing to consider trades of either of their two best starting pitchers, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, as sources say.

[…]

They have told other teams they’d be ready to move either of their two best starting pitchers, as well as closer Jonathan Papelbon.

This would not be a surprise from a monetary standpoint, as each of these pitchers is under contract at a high price this season. With large contracts to Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and others still on the books, Philadelphia is clearly looking for ways to save money. 

However, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are among the most reliable pitchers in baseball. Both starters have topped 200 innings in each of the last four seasons while mostly displaying a great deal of success.

While Jonathan Papelbon did have seven blown saves last season, he does have a 2.41 career ERA, so it makes sense for a team to attempt to deal for an established player.

Of course, a much more surprising move is a possible trade involving Domonic Brown. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Phillies are shopping the 26-year-old player after a big season:

This type of aggressiveness with the current roster is certain to disappoint a lot of fans, but it might be necessary in order to compete in the near future.

New York Mets Infielders Available

The Mets have made some interesting moves this offseason to improve the lineup, signing outfielders Chris Young and Curtis Granderson. As a response, the team is now looking to deal its excess infielders. 

Passan reported that the club is trying to move second baseman Daniel Murphy:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post followed that up by saying the Baltimore Orioles are interested, as well as giving some info on first baseman Ike Davis:

However, Marc Carig of Newsday clarifies that Davis is the one more likely to be traded:

New York has a choice to make at first base heading into next season with both Davis and Lucas Duda capable of playing the spot. After trying Duda in the outfield over the past couple of years, it is clear he is better suited in the infield.

As a result, the Mets will likely trade whichever could return more value, which would likely be Davis due to his past success. The 26-year-old player did hit 32 home runs in 2012.

The team could have another logjam if Eric Young Jr. moves back to second base with a now-full outfield. Murphy put up solid all-around numbers last season with a .286 batting average, 13 home runs and 23 stolen bases, and he could bring in some young talent as well if he is put on the open market.

Los Angeles Dodgers Remain Willing to Trade Matt Kemp

There might not be a more intriguing player on the trade market than Matt Kemp. Two years ago, he was arguably the most complete star in the majors. Unfortunately a couple of seasons worth of injuries have slowed him down.

Still, the outfielder could be dealt this offseason, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN:

Matt Kemp‘s agent, Dave Stewart, said Monday night at baseball’s winter meetings that he believed “something was brewing” in trade talks involving the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti has said publicly that he will listen to offers on his outfielders, of which he has a surplus.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times then quoted an even-more-certain Dave Stewart, who said, “I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen. I haven’t heard a player’s name floated around like that and something not happen.”

When healthy, there are few better players in baseball. In 2011, Kemp was second in the MVP voting behind Ryan Braun, finishing with 39 home runs, 40 stolen bases, a .324 batting average and the most runs and RBI in the National League.

The problem is that he has also missed 145 games over the past few years and is under contract until 2020 after signing an eight-year extension. 

Still, the risk might be worth the reward for a team willing to complete a deal for the talented outfielder.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally acquired the slugger that the team coveted, completing a deal for Mark Trumbo, a rumor that Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal had first reported yesterday.

The completed deal for Trumbo involves the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox. It was first reported and then confirmed as complete by The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro. ESPN’s Keith Law was the first to report the D’Backs talks with the Angels had expanded to include a third team.

The D’Backs gave up a lot to make the deal happen. Tyler Skaggs was supposed to be a key component of the D’Backs rotation moving forward but hit a bump last year in his road to the major leagues. Instead of giving newly installed pitching guru Dave Duncan an opportunity to work with the 22-year-old lefty this spring, the team included him as part of the package for Trumbo.

The other part of the team’s package was traded to the White Sox in the form of Adam Eaton. It has to raise eyebrows that the organization soured so quickly on Eaton after making him sound like he was the spark-plug that the team had been missing going into last spring training. Only an injury kept Eaton from making he big club out of spring training, something that was lamented as part of the D’Backs struggles last season. Eaton struggled in his 250 at-bats last season, posting only a .314 OBP, but has shown great ability in the minors to get on base.

Getting back Trumbo will provide the D’Backs with home runs, runs batted in and a young, cost-controlled player. But, the D’Backs will be playing him out of position in the outfield where he has struggled in his career. Arizona has also traded much of their depth for a 27-year-old player with a .299 career OBP and a player who has shown that he might be the second coming of Mark Reynolds. The power will be there, but can Trumbo develop into a better hitter?

Now, two more young players have been dealt, continuing an alarming trend where the D’Backs seem to be displaying very little patience with struggling prospects, but they seem to continually give the benefit of the doubt to veterans like Trevor Cahill, Brandon McCarthy and Miguel Montero. Arizona has already dealt lefty prospect David Holmberg last week in order to facilitate moving Heath Bell and his contract out of town. MLB‘s Steve Gilbert reports that the D’Backs will be getting two prospects back in the deal.

Skaggs and Holmberg can be added to pitching prospects Jarrod Parker and Trevor Bauer as players the organization has given up on very quickly and dealt. The D’Backs seem to be struggling to develop young pitchers to be ready at the major league level immediately.

Top prospect Archie Bradley will have a tremendous amount of pressure on him to reverse this trend with the franchise. Bradley will need to be good from the start in order to live up to the hype and expectations that are likely to be added to him. It’s a tough spot to put the young hurler in.    

D’Backs general manager Kevin Towers clearly looks to be operating like a man trying to save his job while living up to his gunslinger reputation as someone who is constantly looking to make trades. This trade feels forced, like something that you do when you want to show that you are doing something. While having an open-minded general manager is good, having one that continues to display very little patience might not be the best thing for the long-term continuity of the franchise.

Trumbo might help the D’Backs in the immediate short-term, but it will likely be a minor improvement. The question now becomes: Will Towers be around long enough to see the deal payoff?

Information used from Ken Rosenthal/Fox Sports, Nick Piecoro/Arizona Republic, Nick Piecoro/Arizona Republic, Keith Law/ESPN, Baseball Reference, Steve Gilbert/MLB.com

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The Philadelphia Phillies rebuild, it would appear, is on.

Following a lengthy stretch of success during which they won five straight National League East division crowns and the 2008 World Series title, the Phillies have stumbled the past two seasons, falling to .500 in 2012 and 73-89 last year—their worst mark since 2000.

With many of their key core players from that period now well into their 30s, like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, or dealing with injury issues, like Ryan Howard, the Phillies are a franchise that, in the past year, has gone from teetering on the brink of needing a rebuild to becoming unquestionably desperate for one.

And so general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is looking to cash in his trade chips.

Just a few days after reminding everyone that highly paid closer Jonathan Papelbon remains available, the Phillies have made it known that they they are also ready and willing to talk about trading one—or both—of their ace left-handers, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

There’s reason to wonder whether this approach will stick, though, seeing as how Amaro told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, “Our goal is to add, not to subtract.” There’s also the fact that Philadelphia re-signed catcher Carlos Ruiz and brought in outfielder Marlon Byrd already this offseason.

At the same time, though, there are reports that indicate even young outfielder Domonic Brown might be on the block, as Zolecki noted. While Papelbon doesn’t have much trade value at all—$26 million guaranteed through 2015 for a one-inning pitcher will do that—Lee and Hamels fall on the other end of the spectrum.

As two legitimate No. 1 starters who have continued to perform at or near that level for the past several seasons, either of the two southpaws should be able to net Philadelphia the kind of return the team needs. Should Amaro Jr. decide, once and for all, to go that route.

Speaking of needs, the Phillies could use a few things.

Like an impact infielder at either shortstop or third base, where Rollins is getting old and 2013 rookie Cody Asche remains unproven.

Or an upgrade in the outfield, particularly in center, where Ben Revere is more of a fringy starter who could fit better as a backup.

Or bullpen arms with upside to help address the late innings, whether Papelbon stays around as the closer or not.

Or rotation depth, as Lee, Hamels and righty Kyle Kendrick are the only locks for the 2014 five-man at the moment.

Most of all, though, Philadelphia needs youth, depth and cheaper contracts, especially since so much money is tied up in Howard, Papelbon, Lee and Hamels, among others.

That’s one of the factors to consider in valuing Lee and Hamels on the trade market. For Lee, we’re talking about a 35-year-old who is guaranteed $62.5 million through 2015, along with a $27.5 million club option for 2016. Hamels, meanwhile, is a soon-to-be 30-year-old with at least $118.5 million coming his way through 2018, plus a $20 million club option for 2019. In other words, any inquiring team likely will be a contender that can fit an extra $22-25 million into its budget for the next few years.

While those prices might seem a bit overwhelming, both Lee and Hamels still would be highly sought after given their sustained production and durability. For teams who have been honing in on other top starters who are rumored trade targets, like David Price, Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija, as well as free agents like Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana and Matt Garza, the chance to land a Lee or a Hamels adds a couple more names to a growing list of appealing arms.

Here, then, is a rundown of the teams that could match up well with the Phillies in a trade for one of their two front-liners.

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If the Philadelphia Phillies, led by general manager Ruben Amaro, have a legitimate plan of attack this offseason, it’s time to explain it to a puzzled group of baseball insiders.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Phillies are willing to chat about their aces, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, in trade talks. On Monday, Domonic Brown, the franchise’s only young building block, was floated in rumors at the winter meetings. Jonathan Papelbon, an overpaid closer on a 73-win team, is also rumored to be available, per CSN Philly.

On the surface, this all makes sense. In reality, the Phillies should be in full-scale rebuilding mode. After winning 102 games in 2011, the franchise has fallen on hard times. Over the past two seasons, the Phillies have lost 81 and 89 games, respectively, while becoming one of the least watchable products in baseball.

If Amaro, with the blessing of ownership, scaled back the payroll, traded stars like Hamels and Lee for a group of future impact players and scoured the market for ways to upgrade from Brown, few intelligent fans would be upset.

Instead, the team has sent dangerously mixed signals.  

Philadelphia’s offseason began with additions, not subtractions. By setting the outfield market with a two-year, $16 million deal for 36-year-old Marlon Byrd, the Phillies signaled a need for power in their lineup and protection for Ryan Howard. By re-signing veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, the team refused to part with a leader, despite a poor 2013, because of a lack of major league-ready catching in the farm system.

On the surface, both deals were debatable, but made sense through the prism of trying to compete for a postseason spot in 2014. With a rotation led by Lee and Hamels, the Phillies, assuming healthy seasons from the core of Chase Utley, Brown and Howard, had a chance to compete on the outskirts of the National League wild-card picture.

As the winter meetings progress, the Phillies need to commit to a direction. If they don’t, the franchise will be left among competing, rebuilding and looking for both short- and long-term answers. As of now, the team is wading between both realms, unable to choose a direction.

The best general managers can juggle multiple scenarios, choose the right path and ultimately take their franchise in a direction that leads to long-term success. In July, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford wrote a piece about Amaro‘s trade-deadline plight, but the same words can be reshaped for the present moment. Per Ford’s column:

“Amaro will have to juggle all those considerations two weeks from now, whether the team perks up in the interim or whether it doesn’t.” 

Amazingly, due to a hot streak near the All-Star break, the Philadelphia media was contemplating Amaro‘s buy-or-sell strategy at the trade deadline. After the team limped to a 73-89 finish, including the removal of Charlie Manuel from the dugout, such thinking seems ridiculous in retrospect. Yet, it was there then the way it is now. 

To be fair, there’s a chance, albeit small, that Amaro has a grand plan.

If he can shed payroll by trading Papelbon or Lee, there’s a possibility that the money could be reinvested in a major bat like Shin-Soo Choo and arm like Masahiro Tanaka. 

If the embattled general manager can flip Brown or Hamels for major prospects, the team could finally engage the Miami Marlins in legitimate trade conversation for star slugger Giancarlo Stanton. 

Juggling multiple scenarios in December won’t derail success in May and June, but there has to be a clear, united vision in the front office. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way in Philadelphia. If these same rumors centered around Dave Dombrowski in Detroit or Brian Cashman in New York, the benefit of the doubt would be awarded. 

Amaro, through his own fault, doesn’t garner that respect in the game. During his tenure, he’s made mistake after mistake. From handing Howard a five-year, $125 million deal two years before he hit free agency, to signing a closer to a $52 million deal, to trading Lee for nonimpact prospects, Amaro hasn’t proven worthy of faith.

Right now, with Byrd and Ruiz on board, Papelbon poised to close games, Lee and Hamels at the top of the rotation and Brown ready to build upon a breakout 2013, the Phillies are a few moves from fielding a competitive team. While they’ll likely be closer to .500 than a postseason berth, relevance could return to Citizens Bank Park next summer.

Moving any of their veteran pieces, especially stars like Lee and Hamels, would change that plan, possibly for the better. It would, however, turn 2014 into a rebuilding season and make the contracts handed out to Byrd and Ruiz look ridiculous to everyone in baseball.

In the National League East, every team outside of Philadelphia seems to have a plan. Washington is attempting to win big now, Atlanta has a core of proven youth, New York is inching closer toward contention and Miami is attempting to cultivate a team of inexpensive future stars.

Only one remains a mystery. Until the Phillies show their hand, skepticism will remain. Juggling multiple scenarios and possibilities remains fine for now, but the clock is ticking toward Opening Day and another season with an aging, veteran roster and shallow talent base in the farm system.

Amaro may be poised to fix his past mistakes, but it’s becoming harder and harder to imagine a winning team emerging from his disorganized offseason plan.

Do you have faith in Ruben Amaro?

Comment, follow me on Twitter or “like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks want to protect slugger Paul Goldschmidt, but trading for Mark Trumbo is not the answer. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the rumor that Trumbo might be in play between the D’Backs and the Los Angeles Angels.

This is the same Trumbo who currently sports a sub .300 OBP for his career. The 27-year-old Trumbo would provide power but little else to the Arizona lineup. This isn’t a young prospect, this is a player who will be turning 28 before Opening Day next season. 

Rosenthal later followed it up with a tweet that said that the D’Backs were “pushing” for Trumbo along with other teams. Teams will be looking at the fact that Trumbo has hit 95 home runs combined over the past three seasons and will be under team control until the 2017 season. 

Trumbo has also played the majority of his four major league seasons at first base, meaning the D’Backs would likely be plugging him into left field. Trumbo is a below-average fielder who would immediately impact the D’Backs outfield defense in a negative manner. 

It’s expected that the D’Backs would be sending pitching back to the Angels with Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown reporting that talks for Trumbo might be centered around Trevor Cahill and Tyler Skaggs. Trading Cahill would make some sense from the D’Backs point of view, moving close to $20 million off of the books owed to Cahill over the next two seasons. 

Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto is likely to have interest in Skaggs because ironically enough, Dipoto was the D’Backs interim general manager who acquired Skaggs and Patrick Corbin as part of a deal for Dan Haren back in July of 2010. Skaggs was supposed to be the centerpiece, but Corbin has become the pitcher that everyone thought Skaggs would be at this point.

For the D’Backs, it’s hard to see if there is a plan in place at this moment. Trading Justin Upton last year only to turn around and trade for Trumbo a year later doesn’t make much sense. Trumbo is an imperfect fit in the desert, a limited hitter and fielder who will be asked to protect the D’Backs best hitter. Unless the D’Backs believe they can improve Trumbo‘s at-bats, Goldschmidt will likely be pitched around all season with Trumbo batting behind him.

Upton may never have fulfilled the potential that was projected for him, but he is still a better overall player than Trumbo, one who filled many of the needs the D’Backs are currently looking for this winter. Upton’s combined WAR over the past three seasons is 11.0 compared to Trumbo‘s 7.7 WAR. 

Trading Cahill would also be another acknowledgement by D’Backs general manager Kevin Towers that he missed on another player evaluation, this time by trading top prospect Jarrod Parker to the Oakland A’s for Cahill back in December of 2011.

If the D’Backs are really looking to add a power-hitting outfielder, they should be looking at a player like Corey Hart. Hart’s career slash line is .276/.334/.491 with 154 career home runs. Hart missed all of 2013 due to knee surgery, but if healthy, would provide a much better player to add to the roster and will likely have to take a one-year deal to prove his health.

It sounds like something might happen with Trumbo as MLB‘s Alden Gonzalez tweets that there is a “good chance” Trumbo is traded during the Winter Meetings. 

If Trumbo lands with the D’Backs, it will create only more questions.

Information used from Ken Rosenthal/Fox Sports, Baseball Reference, Rosenthal/Fox Sports, Tim Brown/Yahoo Sports, Alden Gonzalez/MLB

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After coming up short in the sweepstakes for Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton in each of the last two offseasons, respectively, the Seattle Mariners were determined to land one of the few elite hitters in this year’s free-agent class.

Well, they got one Friday.

According the Enrique Rojas of ESPNDesportes.com, Robinson Cano and the Mariners have agreed in principle on a 10-year, $240 million contract, which ties Albert Pujols for the third-largest deal in major league history.

Though the Mariners will have the 31-year-old Cano under contract for the next decade, it’s doubtful the organization would have pursued him so aggressively if it didn’t plan on contending in the near future; the M’s wanted Cano anchoring their lineup for the back end of his prime years.

While Cano’s contract will likely prevent Seattle from signing another big-name free agent this offseason, there is a growing belief that the organization will trade for Tampa Bays ace David Price during next week’s winter meetings.

Had you asked me at the beginning of the week which is most likely to occur this offseason, the Mariners signing free agent Robinson Cano or trading for David Price, I would have said the latter without hesitation.

Despite graduating Nick Franklin, Brandon Maurer, Brad Miller and Mike Zunino to the major leagues in 2013, the Mariners have both the talent and depth on the farm to execute a potential blockbuster trade—and the front office knows it.

Considering the Rays’ return last offseason—a four-player prospect package headlined by AL rookie of the year Wil Myers—from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for James Shields (and Wade Davis), it’s almost a foregone conclusion they will want Seattle’s top prospects in return for Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner.

With that said, here’s one realistic trade package Seattle may offer the Rays to land David Price. 

Taijuan Walker, RHP

Selected by the Mariners in the supplemental first round of the 2010 draft, Walker has everything you want in a future ace. At 6’4” and 210 pounds, the right-hander is an outstanding athlete with a fluid delivery, quick arm and exceptional stuff.

After an up-and-down age-19 campaign at Double-A in 2012, Walker’s command and overall execution of his electric arsenal developed rapidly during his second tour of the level this past season.

The 21-year-old opened the season by mastering the Southern League with a 2.46 ERA and a 96-30 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 84 innings at Double-A Jackson, and he ultimately earned a promotion to Triple-A Tacoma in late June.

Despite the fact that he was one of the younger pitchers at the level, Walker held his own with a 3.61 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 57.1 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Even though he logged a career-high 141.1 innings between both minor league levels, the Mariners decided to give their top prospect a taste of the major leagues as a September call-up.

Suffice it to say that Walker responded favorably to the challenge. In his final start of the year, on Sept. 9 against the Houston Astros, the promising right-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over five innings.

Overall, Walker registered a 3.60 ERA, .a 204 opponent batting average and a 12-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 innings spanning three starts.

Walker boasts a plus-plus fastball that reaches the upper-90s, and he has also developed a high-80s/low-90s cutter that should be at least above-average at maturity. Although his command of both pitches has vastly improved this season, he still tends to leave too many up in the zone—something that will need to improve moving forward.

Both of Walker’s secondary offerings are also in need of refinement. The right-hander induces whiffs with a curveball that has big-time depth and heavy downer action, though his lack of control makes it an inconsistent offering. Meanwhile, he’s still developing a feel for a changeup that’s average at the moment but plays up when he’s working the corners with the fastball and cutter.

I think I speak for all prospect enthusiasts in saying that I hope Walker isn’t traded this winter. It’s not that he’d necessarily be less successful or worse off with another organization; I just think his future is especially bright with Seattle.

However, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the Rays won’t trade Price to the Mariners unless Walker is included in the deal.

The only question is whether the Mariners are willing to make a long-term sacrifice (trading Walker) in favor of a potential short-term gain (acquiring Price).

Nick Franklin, 2B-SS

Selected by the Mariners in the first round of the 2009 out of a Florida high school, Nick Franklin asserted his place on the big league radar the following year with an outstanding full-season debut.

Assigned to Low-A Clinton, the switch-hitting shortstop batted .281/.351/.485 with 52 extra-base hits (23 home runs) and 25 stolen bases in 129 games. The Mariners moved Franklin up to Double-A for the final game of the regular season—a challenge to which he responded by going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

After battling through an injury-plagued 2011 campaign and playing in only 88 games, Franklin bounced back in a big way in 2012, batting .278/.347/.453 with 52 extra-base hits (11 home runs) and 12 stolen bases in 121 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Although he has developed at both middle infield positions, Franklin’s range and arm are a cleaner fit at second base than shortstop. Therefore, when he moved to second base on a near-full-time basis early in the season at Triple-A, it was a strong indication that his call-up was near.

After batting .324/.440/.472 with 13 extra-base hits and more walks (30) than strikeouts (20) in 39 games at Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season, Franklin finally was promoted to the major leagues in late May.

It didn’t take long for the 22-year-old to enjoy success at the highest level.

In his third big league start, Franklin was 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs—the first and second of his promising career—at spacious PetCo Park in San Diego. So it’s not like either home run was cheap.

At the All-Star break in July, Franklin was considered a legitimate rookie of the year candidate in the AL after batting .268/.337/.451 with 16 extra-base hits (six home runs), five stolen bases and a 36-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 169 plate appearances.

However, Franklin’s second half of the season was essentially a two-and-a-half month slump during which he pressed at the plate and seemingly swung through everything. As a result, he batted .194/.280/.333 with a 77-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 243 plate appearances during that span.

While Franklin’s overall body of work as a rookie was impressive, it’s difficult to look past the severity of his struggles following the All-Star break. And with Cano now in the equation and presumably taking over at second base next season, the 22-year-old now represents the Mariners’ most expendable young player.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has been attempting to solidify its middle-infield situation for the last several years with minimal success. So expect Franklin to be included in a potential trade should the Mariners pursue Price.

Ji-Man Choi, 1B

Signed in 2009 out of South Korea, Ji-Man Choi had a very promising professional debut the following year, batting .360/.440/.517 with 21 extra-base hits and 10 steals in 50 games between the AZL Mariners and High-A High Desert.

Unfortunately, he spent the entire 2011 season on the disabled list with a strained back muscle. The setback in his development resulted in an assignment to Low-A Clinton in 2012, where Choi made up for lost time by batting .298/.420/.463 with eight home runs and 43 RBI in 66 games.

This year, Choi enjoyed the type of quick ascent through the Mariners’ system that had seemed inevitable back in 2010. It’s easy to point out that the 22-year-old’s triple-slash line deteriorated upon reaching Double- and Triple-A; however, it also marked the first time that he’d played at either level.

Depending on whether they re-sign James Loney, the Rays could be in the market for an inexpensive first basemen. On top of that, the Mariners still have Justin Smoak under contract through the 2016 season, so including Choi in a potential trade for Price actually makes plenty of sense for both teams.

Dominic Leone, RHP

Dominic Leone may not look like much at 5’11” and 185 pounds, but don’t let his size fool you.

Selected in the 16th round of the 2012 draft out of Clemson, Leone hopped on the fast track to the major leagues this past season (also his full-season debut).

The 22-year-old—in his age-21 season—amassed 16 saves and posted a 2.25 ERA with a 64-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 64 innings between Low-A Clinton, High-A High Desert and Double-A Jackson.

Concern about Leone’s size and lack of downhill plane will continue to follow him through his career. However, that should never detract from the overall nastiness of his stuff.

The right-hander boasts a mid-90s fastball that will play up due to his quick arm and release point. Leone will also attack hitters with a cutter that comes in a few ticks below his regular fastball velocity and features late slicing action to the glove side. Leone’s out-pitch is a nasty slider that dives out of the zone at the last minute to generate a favorable number of strikeouts and weak-hit outs.

Leone continued to improve his prospect stock even more this fall with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, saving six games and posting a stellar 15-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 innings.

Although he’ll presumably open the 2014 season in the minor leagues—either at Double- or Triple-A—it shouldn’t take long for Leone to pitch his way to the major leagues. Once he gets the call, Leone’s combination of swing-and-miss, plus stuff and an above-average command profile should allow him to carve out a role as a solid seventh- or eighth-inning arm.

With a host of young, hard-throwing relievers ahead of him on Seattle’s depth chart, Leone represents intriguing trade bait, given his proximity to the major leagues.

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The most common thought of the week—I know because I’ve said it, wrote it, texted it and tweeted it myself—is how there won’t be much left for teams to do at next week’s winter meetings because everything has already happened.

That, of course, isn’t true. It just seems that way after 25 free agents signed major league contracts this week while eight trades were made involving 23 players, according to MLBDepthCharts.com’s Transaction Tracker. 

In reality, there is still plenty that could occur and several teams haven’t even made their first move yet. Others that have been busy aren’t anywhere near finished making over their roster. And in a setting where general managers can meet face-to-face with fellow general managers, free-agent players and their agents, things tend to happen at a much more rapid pace.  

That setting is Orlando, Florida, home of this year’s winter meetings. Beginning on Monday, December 9, all 30 organizations will be represented heavily by front-office personnel and anyone else involved in making key decisions. By Thursday, most will head out of town and several players will have changed teams. 

Here are five teams to keep an eye on, either because they’re likely to be one of the most active in pursuing impact talent and/or because they have impact talent to trade. 

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (Buyer)

General manager Kevin Towers has yet to add any talent to his big league roster this offseason, but he did clear up some space in a crowded bullpen and freed up $5 million from his payroll when he traded Heath Bell to the Rays. And he could be gearing up to make a splash next week in Orlando.

With reports that Towers is shopping for a power bat—Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that they were in discussions with the A’s on a potential deal that would’ve landed them Yoenis Cespedes; Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wrote that they made a strong push for Carlos Beltran before he signed with the Yankees—and/or an ace starter, as was reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, it would be a surprise if the D’backs went home empty-handed. 

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Buyer/Seller)

The Dodgers have been quiet, making just two notable roster moves thus far. Bringing back veteran reliever Brian Wilson to set up for closer Kenley Jansen and Dan Haren to fill out the back of the rotation has cost the Dodgers a total of $20 million (each is guaranteed $10 million for 2014).

They’re capable of much more, although general manager Ned Colletti could be more focused on trading one of his outfielders. 

Next week could be his best chance to gauge interest in his trio of outfielders that he’s willing to trade—Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp (pictured). Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported last month that the Dodgers were willing to listen to offers on all three.

Kemp would be the biggest catch and his agent, former big league pitcher Dave Stewart, told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that he has a “strong feeling something could happen” involving his client in Orlando next week. Nick Cafardo wrote last month that the Red Sox had inquired on Kemp as a possible replacement for Jacoby Ellsbury, who signed with the Yankees.

With Carlos Beltran, Ellsbury and Curtis Granderson all coming off of the free-agent board in recent days, teams could be more focused on adding outfield help through trades. If Shin-Soo Choo signs over the weekend or early next week, Colletti might be the most popular man around the hotel lobby for the remainder of the meetings.

3. New York Yankees (Buyer)

Carlos Beltran. Jacoby Ellsbury. Hiroki Kuroda. Brian McCann. What an amazing start to the offseason for the Yankees! But they’re not done. At least they better not be. They still have an infield spot to fill, as well as a starting pitcher and at least one late-inning reliever to add before we can declare them playoff contenders once again. 

Free agency is still the likely route for general manager Brian Cashman, although the addition of Beltran and Ellsbury could make Brett Gardner expendable. 

They could also wait for Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka to be posted, although there is no guarantee that his team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, will make him available this year, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Instead, they could focus their attention on one of the top three free-agent starters, Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana, all who are still available. 

4. Seattle Mariners (Buyer)

The Mariners made a huge statement when they agreed to sign star second baseman Robinson Cano to a ten-year, $240 million deal early Friday—the news was first reported by Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. But they weren’t one superstar player away from being legitimate contenders in the AL West. 

And general manager Jack Zduriencik knows that, which is why the M’s are still expected to make news this offseason in free agency, the trade market or both. Acquiring ace starter David Price would be another step in the right direction and the M’s think they have the package of players to make a deal happen, according to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports. 

Even if they don’t land Price, the fact that he’s on their radar shows that the M’s aren’t close to being finished in their quest to build a contender for 2014. 

5. Tampa Bay Rays (Buyer/Seller)

The Rays would very likely trade ace David Price (pictured) in the right deal and 17-of-21 front-office personnel surveyed by ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick last month think that he’ll be traded. Whether it happens or not, expect this to be the No. 1 topic next week in Orlando.

The Rays are also shopping for a first baseman and they’re interested in re-signing James Loney, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. They could also acquire their next first baseman in a deal for Price or in a smaller deal involving one of a handful of players around the league that could be available, including Ike Davis, Mitch Moreland or Logan Morrison, who the Marlins are willing to listen to offers on, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

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With the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reporting that the New York Mets inked Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million deal, the team is undoubtedly improved heading into the 2014 season. However, if the Mets are unwilling to sacrifice more money or assets this offseason to further improve the major league roster, the deal will be a mistake, as New York will fail to capitalize on Granderson’s prime years.

The front office has long advertised 2014 as the year in which the Mets would start competing. With the Jason Bay and Johan Santana contracts coming off the books, fans have long dreamt of signing an impact outfielder such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, or Curtis Granderson in the 2013-14 offseason. With Matt Harvey emerging as one of the best pitchers in the National League, contending in 2014 seemed like a tangible possibility if the team had a strong offseason.

Harvey’s Tommy John surgery altered the Mets situation drastically. Heading into 2014 without Harvey, New York’s success depends heavily on the development of young hurlers Zack Wheeler and Jenrry Mejia as well as contributions from prospects Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero. The Mets would also need young hitters like Travis d’Arnaud and Juan Lagares to reach their potential if they have any chance at competing for a 2014 playoff spot.

With the still-developing Mets prospects’ seemingly bright futures further down the road, signing Curtis Granderson makes little sense unless the Mets continue to be aggressive this offseason.

As he currently stands as a player, Granderson’s presence on the Mets makes the team better. As a 33-year-old outfielder, the discernible skills Granderson brings to New York are his power and speed. He has struggled with making consistent contact in recent years, batting .231 cumulatively over the past two seasons.

Granderson should significantly improve the Mets for the 2014 season. Outside of David Wright, New York hasn’t had a position player with this much impact potential since the loss of Jose Reyes.

The slugging outfielder has been an elite big leaguer as recently as 2011, when he placed fourth in the MVP race, finishing with 41 home runs, 119 RBI and a .262/.364/.552 slash-line. While his batting average dropped to .232 in 2012, he still hit 43 home runs and was a game-changing talent.

Many baseball experts around the league have lauded the deal for the Mets. ESPN’s Keith Law believes that with New York’s young rotation, this signing immediately improves the Mets outfield and should help them compete in 2015. FanGraphs’ Eno Sarris thinks that Granderson should age gracefully because of his style of play, and that “He fills a desperate need for the Mets, who don’t have great short- or long-term options at his position.”

David Wright was also among those thrilled by the signing, as evidenced by the quote below:

Despite Granderson’s immediate impact on the team and the support behind the signing, the track record for outfielders following their age-33 season is bleak, a topic discussed in depth by Toby Hyde at MetsMinorLeagueBlog.com. Hyde analyzed players with similar skill sets and careers as Granderson heading into the latter stages of their careers, and found that almost universally the players’ WARs decline sharply.

Hyde also analyzed Granderson’s decline heading into this offseason, pointing out the very concerning increase in the outfielder’s strikeout percentage, rising from 19.9 percent in 2009 to over 28 percent in each of the last two seasons. With Granderson already noticeably declining, along with the poor track record of similar players, the chances of him being an above-average regular by the end of the contract are slim.

There is also the question of whether or not Curtis Granderson significantly cures the Mets offensive woes. As Kevin Burkhardt notes, in 2013 New York finished tied for 22nd in runs, 24th in OBP, 29th in slugging percentage and tied for 24th in home runs. They did this with Marlon Byrd in the lineup for most of the season, and Byrd hit .285 with a .518 slugging percentage and 21 home runs.

The Mets can expect slightly more home runs from Granderson than Byrd, with a significantly lower batting average. The Mets offense ranked as low as it did despite Byrd’s career year, and by replacing Byrd’s statistics with Granderson’s marginally better production, the front office made a small dent into the team’s offensive woes.

For fans, the Granderson signing is easy to like. While the Mets have stockpiled pitching talent, their lineup has remained underwhelming despite David Wright’s presence, and Granderson gives New Yorkers a reason to come to Citi Field.

Despite how the deal makes the Mets better in the short term, New York must approach the winter meetings with an aggressive attitude.

Bleacher Report’s Joe Giglio lays out his view of the next steps for the Mets, citing the team’s need for a shortstop, a stable first baseman and a veteran arm. If the Mets fail to improve the team drastically in these areas for the 2014 season either through free agency or trades, the Granderson deal will be a failure, as the Mets need to capitalize on the years of production the slugging outfielder has left.

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All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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