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This winter’s MLB free-agent class offers little in the way of impact players. As a result, we could see unusually high movement among the game’s biggest names who are still under contract.

With baseball winter meetings a little less than a month away, a number of star players are already rumored in potential blockbuster deals.

This offseason may be unusual in that the trade market could net more impact moves than free agency. What might those moves be?

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Imagine, if you will, that you are an agent. Your client, Player X, is a free agent and has drawn offers from each of MLB‘s 30 teams. (Yes, this never happens in real life, but play along.) All of the offers are similar.

How do you advise your client to make the best possible decision?

You prepare a detailed report for him, taking these factors into account:

• Atmosphere (1-5): How does this team draw at home? Those numbers, courtesy of ESPN.com, and how rabid a fanbase is thought to be (along with the market a team plays in) all contribute to this score.

• Payroll (1-5): Can this team afford to surround your client with quality teammates? Or will he be the lone shining star on a sinking ship? Payroll information comes courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).

• 2017 Outlook (1-10): Is this team poised to contend next season?

• Long-Term Outlook (1-10): What sort of shape is this team’s farm system in? (Rankings via Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter.) Is there flexibility in the payroll on the horizon?

• Tiebreaker: If two or more teams graded out the same, the tiebreakers were their scores in long-term outlook, followed by 2017 outlook, payroll and atmosphere.

With those four areas in mind, here is a look at which MLB team is the best free-agent destination this winter.

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Over the past week, Bleacher Report has been going position by position and rounding up the top 100 players available in free agency and trades in the 2016-2017 MLB offseason.

Now it’s time to put them all in one basket.

Each player was subjected to a scoring system that weighed his desirability in terms of talent, durability and value. Position players and starting pitchers could get as many as 100 points. Relief pitchers could get as many as 85 points.

For more on how the system worked, you can check out any of the individual position slideshows:

• Top 15 Corner Infielders
• Top 10 Catchers
• Top 15 Middle Infielders
• Top 25 Starting Pitchers
• Top 15 Relief Pitchers
• Top 20 Outfielders

Some things have required updating since the publications of the individual positional rankings. New players have joined the list. Others have had their situations updated. But on the whole, we’re mostly here to present a list of 100 players to keep an eye on this winter.

Along the way, you’ll find links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball Savant and StatCorner.

So take it away.

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Bleacher Report’s stroll through the top 100 players available in the 2016-17 MLB offseason now heads to the outfield.

We have 20 outfielders to get to. Most are part of a deep collection of quality free agents. Others are trade candidates pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. They’re ranked according to how they fared in the following scoring system:

• Talent Outlook: Out of 70. This is where we look at how guys have performed recently and consider the outlook of their skills going forward. Think of 35 out of 70 as a league-average player and 70 out of 70 as a Mike Trout-like talent.
• Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is where we probe track records and injury histories for a projection on how guys’ bodies will hold up. Think of 10 out of 20 as signaling a toss-up as to whether guys will remain durable, with 20 out of 20 indicating no concerns whatsoever. To keep things fair, we’ll allow a ceiling of 15 points for players in line for short-term commitments.
• Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is where we try to project what kind of contract or trade package it’s going to take to acquire a guy and then determine if he’d be worth it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero being a megabust and 10 being a megasteal.

In the event of ties, the nod will be given to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.

Along the way, you’ll find links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Savant.

Now then, let’s take it away.

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After looking at the top 25 starting pitchers, Bleacher Report’s look at the top 100 players available in the 2016-17 offseason now moves to the bullpen.

We’ll look at 15 relief pitchers who are either free agents or trade candidates pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. Since relievers have limited roles, their scoring system adds up to 85 possible points rather than the usual 100.

• Talent Outlook: Out of 60. The idea is to look at how each pitcher has performed and how his performance will or won’t change in the future. Think of a score of 30 out of 60 as a league-average reliever, with 60 out of 60 essentially being Andrew Miller.

• Durability Outlook: Out of 15. This is a look at how durable guys are going to be based on their past workloads and injury histories. Think of 15 out of 15 as no concern whatsoever, whereas a seven or eight out of 15 says a healthy future is a toss-up. 

• Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is a discussion about the contracts or trade packages guys are going to command and about whether they could justify it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero out of 10 being a megabust and 10 out of 10 being a megasteal.

In the event of ties, the nod will be given to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.

Along the way, you’ll find plenty of links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Savant. 

Step into the box whenever you’re ready.

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Bleacher Report’s rundown of the top 100 players available in the 2016-17 MLB offseason now moves to the mound.

Up first are the top 25 starting pitchers who are either free agents or trade candidates pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. With very little starting talent available in free agency this winter, be warned that this list is especially heavy with trade candidates.

The players are ranked according to how they fared in the following scoring system:

• Talent Outlook: Out of 70. The idea is to look at how each pitcher has performed and how his performance will or won’t change in the future. Think of a score of 35 out of 70 as a league-average pitcher, with 70 out of 70 essentially being Clayton Kershaw.

• Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is a look at how durable guys are going to be based on their past workloads and injury histories. Think of 20 out of 20 as no concern whatsoever, whereas 10 out of 20 says a healthy future is a toss-up. Also, we’ll keep things fair by only allowing pitchers who will require short-term commitments a maximum of 15 points.

• Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is a discussion about the contracts or trade packages guys are going to command and about whether they could justify it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero out of 10 being a megabust and 10 out of 10 being a megasteal.

In the event of ties, the nod goes to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.

Along the way, you’ll find plenty of links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Savant. 

Now then, let’s take it away.

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The 2016-17 MLB offseason is underway, as another thrilling postseason was capped off by the Chicago Cubs besting the Cleveland Indians in a seven-game World Series for the ages.

There will be time to reflect on the 2016 season in the months ahead, but there is no rest for MLB teams in their pursuit of a title, and the offseason work is already underway.

All 30 teams have different to-do lists heading into the winter, as each team looks to shore up its roster for a run of its own in 2017.

What follows is a quick rundown of each team’s shopping list as things stand here in the early stages of the offseason, with a focus on what specific positions each team will be looking to upgrade.

Things will obviously change as the weeks and months pass, but for now, this serves as a primer for what to expect from each team.

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After checking in on catchers and corner infielders, Bleacher Report’s review of the top 100 players available in the 2016-17 MLB offseason now moves to the middle of the infield.

We have 15 middle infielders who are either free agents or trade targets pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. They’re ranked based on how they fared in the following scoring system:

• Talent Outlook: Out of 70. This is where we look at how guys have performed recently and consider the outlook of their skills going forward. Think of 35 out of 70 as a league-average player and 70 out of 70 as a Mike Trout-like talent.
• Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is where we probe track records and injury histories for a projection for how guys’ bodies will hold up. Think of 10 out of 20 as signaling a toss-up as to whether guys will remain durable, with 20 out of 20 indicating no concerns whatsoever. To keep things fair, we’ll allow a ceiling of 15 points for players in line for short-term commitments.
• Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is where we try to project what kind of contract or trade package it’s going to take to acquire a guy and then determine if he’d be worth it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero being a megabust and 10 being a megasteal.

In the event of ties, the nod will be given to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.

Along the way, you’ll find links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Savant. 

Now that you know everything you need to know, it’s time to take it away.

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Only the Chicago Cubs deserve to look back onto the 2016 Major League Baseball season. For every other organization, it is now time to look forward.

That made the timing of Saturday’s Fall Stars Game, the showcase of the Arizona Fall League’s best players, perfect.

And no, the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber did not play in the game, though he played two Arizona Fall League games in order to get ready for the World Series.

But a host of top prospects did play and shine in the game, giving reason for a handful of organizations to be excited about the future. Who among them stood out the most?

Note: All prospect rankings are courtesy of MLB.com.

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Bleacher Report’s look at the top 100 players available for the 2016-2017 MLB offseason got started with the top 15 corner infielders. Now come the top 10 catchers.

These 10 catchers are either free agents or trade targets pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. They’re ranked based on how they fared in the following scoring system:

• Talent Outlook: Out of 70. This is where we look at how guys have performed recently and consider the outlook of their skills going forward. Think of 35 out of 70 as a league-average player and 70 out of 70 as a Mike Trout-like talent.
• Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is where we probe track records and injury histories for a projection for how guys’ bodies will hold up. Think of 10 out of 20 as signaling a toss-up as to whether guys will remain durable, with 20 out of 20 indicating no concerns whatsoever. To keep things fair, we’ll allow a ceiling of 15 points for players in line for short-term commitments.
• Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is where we try to project what kind of contract or trade package it’s going to take to acquire a guy and then determine if he’d be worth it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero being a megabust and 10 being a megasteal.

In the event of ties, the nod will be given to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.

Along the way, you’ll find links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball Savant and StatCorner.

Now that you know everything you need to know, it’s time to take it away.

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