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In the aftermath of one of the craziest weeks in recent offseason history, it’s natural to wonder if the winter meetings will disappoint baseball fans.

After all, with Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Curtis Granderson and Joe Nathan off the board, five of the 15 best free agents, per Yahoo! Sports, are signed, sealed and delivered before the sport ascends on Disney World. 

Free agency may have accelerated a week too early for winter-meetings buzz, but the trade market has left plenty for baseball fans to look forward to in Orlando, Florida. When the baseball world arrives, expect buzz to generate around the biggest prize available on the trade market: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price. 

Already, the rumors have begun. According to Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, count the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates among teams pursuing the 28-year-old lefty. Insiders such as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman singled out the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers as possible suitors on MLB Network. 

As budgets are set, depth charts altered and executives prepped on how to best alter their franchises, Price’s name will emerge from the trade block and onto the headlines for three reasons: his status as one of the truly elite pitchers in baseball, below-market value of his contract and the philosophy of his current team.

Since arriving to the big leagues in 2008, and becoming a full-time starter in 2009, David Price has been among the best pitchers in baseball. Any team acquiring him wouldn’t just get an ace, they would receive the potential for back-to-back Cy Young-caliber campaigns before Price’s contract expired after the 2015 season.

Simply looking at Price’s career ERA (3.19), WHIP (1.15), win-loss record (71-39) or K/9 (8.1), paints the picture of a dominant starting pitcher. Yet his case as one of the top 15 arms in baseball is buoyed when comparing him to other top arms in the sport. Since 2009, using criteria of an ERA+ better than 120 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 3.00, very few pitchers make the cut. 

As you probably imagined, Price is one of them. Some pitchers who didn’t meet the standards for consistent excellence over the last five seasons: Cole Hamels, Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, Mat Latos and Jordan Zimmermann. When placing Price in the context of the 10 or 11 best pitchers in baseball, along with his 2012 American League Cy Young award, a true ace emerges on the trade market.

Due to the beauty of Major League Baseball’s arbitration system, Price will be compensated over the final two years of his original contract. According to Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors, Price is estimated to earn $13.1 million in arbitration for the 2014 season. If a contract extension isn’t reached before 2015, Price could cost his next team around $30 million for the next two years.

Yet, considering the $100 million price tag attached to free-agent pitcher Ervin Santana, $32 million deal afforded to Jason Vargas, two-year, $35 million pact San Francisco lavished on Tim Lincecum and uncertainty over Masahiro Tanaka’s posting from Japan, per ESPN, Price is virtually a steal, considering his ability, at $30 million over the next two years.

His deal is palatable to any suitor because it’s not just a one-year contract. If 2014 was set to double as Price’s contract year, his market would be much, much smaller. Outside of the few big-market teams that truly can afford his next contract, it would be foolish to give up significant prospects for one year.

However, two years of greatness is enough to convince general managers to part with the future. 

If any team understands the power of value and leverage, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the last three years, general manager Andrew Friedman has traded away two top-tier pitchers, Matt Garza and James Shields. Through no coincidence, both were two years away from free agency. This juncture represents the perfect time for a deal.

After giving Tampa Bay five outstanding seasons, Price is about to become much more expensive in arbitration and lose value by the day. If he’s on Tampa’s roster on Opening Day, it’s an upset.

Adding to Tampa’s ability to engage multiple teams in trade negotiations: the lack of desire for a particular return. As Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth described when profiling a possible match between the Rangers and Rays farm systems, Tampa excels this time of year due to its eagerness to take the best prospect available. Per Durrett‘s column:

Tampa Bay likely won’t be picky about any specific positions of need. They’ll want the best package they can get. If the Rangers put Jurickson Profar in the mix, that would put them on par with just about anything anybody else can offer.

When top prospects, not positions of need, are the cost, almost any team with a sound farm system can enter the sweepstakes. That strategy helped net the Rays two of their young building blocks, Wil Myers and Chris Archer, in the Shields and Garza trades, respectively. 

Free-agent prices are soaring, inferior pitchers are asking for contracts up to $100 million and the Rays are motivated to move on of the the best pitchers on the planet.

All that adds up to rumors and the potential for a blockbuster deal at the winter meetings.

What would you give up in a trade for David Price?

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Major League Baseball always features a serious share of trade rumors during the year, and the 2013 offseason has been no exception.

With free agents starting to sign huge deals and teams already making blockbuster trades, the pressure on franchises that have stood still thus far will only continue to grow as the fans call for changes.

Here is the latest buzz surrounding the biggest names reportedly on the block.

David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

David Price is one of the best young starting pitchers in baseball today. The problem is that the Tampa Bay Rays are notoriously tight-fisted with money, and Price may walk away from Tampa Bay when he is eligible to become a free agent.

If the Rays don’t plan on re-signing Price—that would be an awful decision for the future of the franchise—the team must trade him now. Tampa Bay could essentially hold a bidding war for his services and would have the time to work out the details of the deal during the layoff.

According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the Texas Rangers are expected to make an offer for Price and could have the pieces to make a deal happen:

Texas is also known to like David Price, and is one of the clubs expected to make a run at trading for him this winter. The Rays are said to like Texas first baseman Mitch Moreland, who the Rangers no longer need, and could include in a larger Price deal.

Price has been amazing in his time with Tampa Bay, amassing 71 wins, a 3.19 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in six seasons. He has been instrumental in the success of the Rays over that time and letting him go would be a tough sell for the franchise.

There is no question that Tampa Bay would get a healthy return on the trade, but whether or not the acquired players would live up to the high standards set by Price is something the Rays must consider.

Tampa Bay should re-sign Price to a long-term deal and build the franchise around him.

Brett Anderson, SP, Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brett Anderson came into the league in 2009 and put up impressive numbers, but he has failed to live up to those expectations. With a deep starting rotation in Oakland and the need to find efficiency for every dollar, the possibility of a trade continues to grow.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, two teams are reportedly interested in the pitcher:

Anderson came out in his rookie season and started 30 games. He pitched 175.1 innings, struck out 150 batters and had a 4.06 ERA, but he has not lived up to the hype, totaling only 11 starts over the last two seasons.

The young pitcher needs a fresh start.

Injuries have played a major role in his lack of success over the last four seasons, but a change of scenery could offer Anderson the inspiration to continue fighting on. After Tommy John Surgery in 2011, the pitcher needs all the confidence he can muster to return to his elite form.

Trading for Anderson would be an educated risk that could yield a huge return if the 25-year-old regains his rookie form, and a franchise with a deep farm system would be wise to make this deal.

Jeff Samardzija, SP, Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija have failed to reach a deal on a contract extension, and the likelihood that the franchise could trade the player is growing every day.

Per a report from David Kaplan of CSN Chicago, the feeding frenzy over Samardzija has begun:

The Cubs are shopping starter Jeff Samardzija and as many as eight teams have shown considerable interest in landing the right-hander, who is not eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. The front office has had discussions with Samardzija‘s camp regarding a long-term contract extension, but the two sides are far apart financially.

Samardzija can be a franchise starting pitcher, but the Cubs haven’t showed the willingness to pay him that way. If Chicago doesn’t think a long-term deal is in its best interest, working out a trade now while his value is sky high would guarantee a big return.

If the Cubs wait until midseason or even next offseason to pull the trigger on a deal, injuries or a poor performance could hurt his overall value. Chicago must make a trade for Samardzija this offseason or sign him to a long-term contract as one of the top pitchers on the staff for years to come.

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Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn should give his counterpart with the New York Mets a call and offer up Dayan Viciedo for second baseman Daniel Murphy.

It could be an ideal scenario for both the White Sox and the Mets, actually.

First off, all of the pieces for the Mets are seemingly in place. They need to infuse some power into their lineup immediately and have already considered using Murphy as the centerpiece in a trade to make it happen, according to Kristie Ackert from the New York Daily News.

To give you an idea of how badly they need someone who can drive the ball in left field, consider that they ranked 22nd in MLB at the position last season with a .701 OPS, per ESPN.com. And if things stay the way they are, it will be worse this season. Eric Young Jr. is atop the depth chart, and he was a .645 OPS last year.

Now Viciedo would most certainly satisfy the power part of the trade equation as he’s hit 39 home runs and has driven in 134 runs over the past two seasons. He would easily become the best source of power in their outfield and give manager Terry Collins the bat he said he wants in the middle of the order, via CBSNewYork.com.

What the White Sox would be getting in Murphy—who had a 286/.319./415 slash line with 13 home runs, 23 stolen bases and 78 RBI in 2013—is three-fold. They would get a player who hit .302 in 113 games batting second, runs the bases very well and does not go through extended stretches where he forgets how to hit. Yes, he only drew 32 walks in 658 at-bats last season, but nonetheless, he is a significant upgrade at the position.  

Bringing Murphy in may also be the catalyst Hahn uses to finally move Gordon Beckham. Don’t get me wrong, Beckham was not the problem this past season. He has been given ample time to prove that he is the long-term solution at second base, though, and has not shown up to the task.

Sure, expectations for him were high following his rookie season when he hit .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI. That does not alter the reality that a change of scenery could be very good for him. And look no further than the Toronto Blue Jays for a team that has already shown interest in the former first-round pick, per MLB.com.

Now with a hole in the outfield that the White Sox minor league system is not yet capable of filling, Hahn has options to replace Tank. He could leverage Alexei Ramirez, Hector Santiago and/or Addison Reed to find an outfielder who has good speed and plays defense at a higher level than Viciedo can.

As a stand-alone move, Viciedo for Murphy doesn’t make sense. They would end up having too many second basemen and not enough legitimate outfielders. As part of a larger movement, however, it would be a fantastic trade for the White Sox.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Most of the top-tier free agents remain unsigned roughly a month after the frenzy began, but several deals have been struck. Some of them look like good signings and some of them…do not. Here are the early winners and losers of the offseason.

Winners

Cardinals: The rich get richer, at least on paper. The Redbirds improved at two up-the-middle positions, signing free agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta and trading for center fielder Peter Bourjos. Peralta is a huge upgrade at short, and though some were surprised to see him get four years and $52M coming off a PED suspension, the annual average salary is still team-friendly, and he didn’t cost a draft pick because the Tigers didn’t make him a qualifying offer.

Acquiring Bourjos for David Freese allows the Cards to move Matt Carpenter to third base and turn over second base to Kolten Wong, improving the infield while saving money. Bourjos could platoon with Jon Jay in center field or perhaps relegate Jay to fourth-outfielder duties. With Matt Holliday, Bourjos, Jay and Allen Craig as their four outfielders, there’s no need to rush super-prospect Oscar Taveras up to the majors if he starts slowly in the minors.

Yankees: The Yanks have made only one move so far, but signing All-Star catcher Brian McCann was a big one. They got him for five years and $85M, with a vesting option for a sixth year. McCann will turn 30 in February, so there could be some dead years on the back end, but for now the Yanks acquired one of the best players in the game at the position—one, by the way, that was a black hole for them in 2013.

The Yankees still have work to do. They’re interested in free agent outfielder/DH types like Carlos Beltran and Curtis Granderson, and they probably need a backup plan at third base in case Alex Rodriguez‘s suspension is upheld. And of course, their negotiations with second baseman Robinson Cano loom. For now, though, McCann is an excellent start.

Losers

Phillies: The Phils have made two moves of note, signing both Carlos Ruiz and Marlon Byrd to multiyear deals at modest annual average salaries. The problem isn’t the terms of the contracts but rather that both guys are old and could have pretty low floors if their production falls off a cliff. The Phillies could eat either contract in that case but will have already wasted time and money if it comes to that.

With that in mind, these deals seem to indicate a lack of organizational direction. Are they win-now moves? Stopgap moves? A little bit of both, perhaps.

Giants: The Giants have been one of the most active teams so far this offseason. While none of their moves looks terrible in a vacuum, the question is whether their cumulative impact is enough to allow the Giants to threaten the Dodgers in the NL West. Simply put, I don’t think so.

The Giants had something of a worst-case-scenario season in 2013, so some rebound is expected. But bringing back Hunter Pence, Tim Lincecum, Javier Lopez and Ryan Vogelsong doesn’t improve the team much—nor does it address gaping offensive holes at shortstop, left field and center field. The addition of Tim Hudson to the rotation helps, but at this point in his career he’s a No. 3 or 4 starter.

It’s too soon to write off the Giants’ offseason entirely for obvious reasons, but they need to make at least one big move if not two, and that may be tough considering they’ve spent a lot of money already. Otherwise, it looks to me that they’re trotting out a team similar to last year’s, and I just don’t think counting on rebounds from guys like Matt Cain will be enough to close the gap with the Dodgers.

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With a few weeks’ worth of free-agent signings and trades in the rearview, the markets at each position have taken shape and shifted to varying degrees. And with many more weeks to go on the unofficial Hot Stove calendar—a stretch that includes the upcoming Winter Meetings, the signature event of the offseason—more trades are likely to be struck.

Here’s a look at some guys at each position that make sense as trade candidates, updates on the latest rumors surrounding them, plus new potential trade targets who have emerged from the fray.

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The 2014 MLB free-agency market is heating up, and no move sparked more controversy this week than Jhonny Peralta’s $53 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now, the big question is just how lucrative of a contract Nelson Cruz will land. According to the rumbling on the trade market, however, Peralta and Cruz won’t be the only Biogenesis-linked players on the move this offseason.

Here are all the latest rumors from the trade block and the free-agent front with a look at which ones are fact and which ones are fiction.

Note: All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.

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Though the Indians found success in 2013, they have some weaknesses they’ll have to address before they’re ready to take the next step in 2014.

The club managed a 92-70 record in 2013. However, with the impending losses of Scott Kazmir and Ubaldo Jimenez, combined with the disappointment of players like Lonnie Chisenhall, needs have arisen at third base and also in the starting rotation.

Although they spent relatively freely in 2013, signing players like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Kazmir, the Indians will likely look to add through the trade market this season, making additions even more difficult. However, the team possesses enough big-league ready prospects to address their weaknesses by pulling off these two quick trade fixes.

Starting Rotation

The Indians’ starting rotation was a pleasant surprise in 2013. The unit, as a whole, managed a 3.92 ERA with a .254/.322/.396 slash line against. The team’s ERA, batting average allowed and slugging percentage allowed all ranked within the AL’s top six teams.

With that said, the team faces substantial losses this offseason, as both Jimenez and Kazmir appear to be on their way out. The two earned 23 of the rotation’s 59 wins, with a combined 3.65 ERA over 340.2 innings pitched.

The team’s rotation, in its current state, without Kazmir and Jimenez, would look like this.

The team would have to rely upon a rather volatile starting rotation. While Masterson is a legitimate ace and Salazar has the makings of a front-end starter in this league, the drop-off from there could be significant.

Both McAllister and Kluber turned in solid seasons, but they’ll be relied upon more heavily in 2014 and it’s unclear how they’ll perform as their workloads increase. After that, the Indians would be looking to the oft-injured Tomlin, wildly inconsistent and headstrong prospect Bauer and Carrasco, who profiles better as a reliever.

For that reason, the team should look to acquire another starting pitcher.

Some options for the Indians include Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Jeff Samardzija and Rick Porcello. Of the four, it seems as though Porcello would be the best fit, and also the easier of the four to acquire.

Porcello would be a great acquisition for the Tribe. The 24-year-old righty is under club control through 2015, and although his numbers don’t suggest it, he’s a solid starter with top-tier capabilities.

Consider Porcello’s numbers from the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Porcello has shown improvement across the board in statistical measures since breaking in with the Tigers back in 2009. The young righty has seen improvements in his xFIP and SIERA values, both of which are designed to measure a pitcher’s true ability, while also predicting “future accomplishments”(per Fangraphs.com).

Porcello also does a masterful job of keeping the ball on the ground, as evidenced by his plus-1.00 GB/FB ratio. That quality is hard to come by in young starters, and as Porcello’s GB/FB rate continues to improve, so should the rest of his measurables.

Aside from the fact that the Indians would have to strike a deal with a rival, the Indians and Tigers are a good fit as far as trade partners go. The Tigers are looking to replenish what is arguably the worst farm system in baseball—29th according to Baseball America’s most recent rankings.

The Indians system ranks 23rd on that same Baseball America list, but big-league-ready talent like Trevor Bauer, Jose Ramirez and others could certainly bring the Indians another starter of Porcello’s ability level.

Third Base

The Indians have a clear weakness at third base.

Lonnie Chisenhall was supposed to step in as the team’s everyday third baseman following the departures of Jhonny Peralta and Jack Hannahan, respectively. Unfortunately for the Indians, to this point, Chisenhall has proven unable to achieve the lofty potential that once landed him a spot as Baseball America‘s No. 25 prospect prior to the 2011 season. 

Through 203 career games, Chisenhall owns a .244/.284/.411 slash line with 23 home runs, 36 doubles, 74 RBI and 73 runs scored.

It’s becoming more and more clear that Chisenhall is not the answer for the Tribe at third base. Although he’s young, the team is looking to compete for a division title in 2013, and weaknesses need to be addressed.

The hole could be filled by adding Padres third baseman Chase Headley. According to the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo, the “growing sentiment” is that Headley will be traded this offseason as the two sides have yet to work out a long-term deal.

Headley suffered through a down season in 2013, totaling a .250/.347/.400 slash line with 13 home runs, 35 doubles, 50 RBI and 59 runs scored. However, even Headley’s down season is better than Chisenhall at this point.

Consider the two and their contributions over the past three seasons—remember that Chisenhall has never played 100 games in any season.

Headley is better in nearly every statistical measure, including on-base percentage, runs created, slugging percentage, and clutch hitting (WPA/LI) where he bests Chisenhall by a large margin.

The Indians ranked fifth in the AL in on-base percentage last year, and while that rank is certainly respectable, Chisenhall’s .270 OBP was the lowest of any Indians position player with 10-plus plate appearances. Adding Headley and his career .350 OBP would be a significant addition to an already potent lineup.

As the following chart shows, Headley is no slouch in the field either and would prove to be a welcome upgrade in that regard as well.

Last season, Headley proved to be the more capable defender. Although there’s a rather large discrepancy in the number of innings played, Headley bested Chisenhall in multiple defensive measures.

The only area where Chisenhall comes out on top is RZR, which measures “the proportion of balls hit into a fielder’s zone that he successfully converted into an out,” per Fangraphs.com. This is due to the large gap in fielding opportunities between him and Headley. Given the rest of the data available, with more opportunities in the field, Chisenhall’s RZR would have surely dropped.

Headley, with his current contract, would be a one-year rental. However, given the Indians’ measly salary commitments heading into the 2014 season, a long-term deal is a legitimate possibility.

Given Headley’s drop-off in 2013, the asking price for his services will have surely declined, making it significantly easier for the Tribe to acquire the 29-year-old this offseason.

All stats courtesy of Fangraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Mets have both Ike Davis and Lucas Duda on their roster as first base options. Being that they are both left-handed hitters and the Mets are in the National League, it seems all but certain that one of the two will get traded this offseason.

This will be an interesting decision for the Mets to make. They could decide to stick with the more proven Davis, or give Duda a real chance to be the starting first baseman. The Mets, though, should go for proven talent instead of raw potential.

Here are five reasons why the Mets should trade Lucas Duda instead of Ike Davis.

Baseball statistics are courtesy of BaseballReference.com

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Beyond offering hope to fans of struggling teams, prospects serve a more important purpose at this time of the year.

With Major League Baseball’s free agency underway and every team evaluating their rosters for the 2014 season, prospects can be the deciding factor when it comes to an offseason blockbuster trade.

Last year, top-ranked prospects Travis d’Arnaud, Jake Marisnick and Will Myers were each featured (as part of larger packages) in trades for All-Star players and went on to reach the major leagues during the 2013 season.

Because the offseason is still young, there haven’t been many substantiated trade rumors so far involving prospects. 

However, that’s not to say the rumors aren’t out there.

So let’s break down the hottest trade rumors involving top prospects.

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It’s not always a player’s fault when he ends up on the chopping block.

Sure, lots of big names around the league play their way out of jobs by drastically underperforming the expectations. Other stars merely have the misfortune of playing for teams that don’t live up to the billing and subsequently need to sell of any valuable assets in a desperate effort to reload. Finally, there is the group of players who excelled on competitive teams but who have simply outgrown the means of their small-market clubs.

With these considerations in mind, here’s a look at 10 big-name MLB players on the chopping block this offseason.

Note: All statistics and salary information courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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