Baseball

The Free Agent Market could be open for business as early as next Monday, and while it had appeared to be shaping up late in the regular season, it turns out that it was far from settled. 

Pricey contract extensions for Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum, as well as rumored $100 million asking prices for Shin-Shoo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury, indicate that teams may have to ante up big dollars for the best players on the market.  

The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals are tied at one game apiece in the 2013 World Series, and Game 3 should be fantastic.

The Sox took the first game in dominant fashion, but the Cardinals showed resiliency in taking Game 2 in Boston.

What are the keys going forward for both teams? What does each team need to do to win the series?

Read on to find out.

Boston Red Sox

When you have two teams playing for a championship, the hope is the play on the field is clean to determine who is best without having to focus on mistakes being made. 

The 2013 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox hasn't followed that formula. It is tied one-all heading to St. Louis following two defensive miscues by the Red Sox in Game 2 that led to three runs for the Cardinals. 

We came into the 2013 World Series expecting a dramatic, drawn-out battle between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. With the teams tied at a game apiece and the action shifting to Busch Stadium, that's exactly what it's shaping up to be.

The Cards probably won't win three straight and bring the Fall Classic to a premature conclusion, but they should at least take command with two victories at home.

Let's review their greatest advantages going forward.

Contrary to what it may seem, the Seattle Mariners are a mess at first base. 

Justin Smoak was supposed to be Seattle's first baseman of the future, but has been wildly inconsistent, even getting demoted to Triple-A for stints in each of the past two seasons. The relegations have helped, but he hasn't made great strides in his offensive game. 

The San Francisco Giants have overpaid once again. This time, Tim Lincecum is the benefactor of the Giants' generosity.

The MLB Rookie of the Year Award can be a lottery draw or a done deal. Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins might as well start celebrating early because they deserve the coveted honor.

Careful: The question posed above might just be a trick one. But we'll get to that in a bit.

First, let's remind readers what Carlos Beltran and David Ortiz have done so far this October in helping get their respective teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, to the 2013 World Series.

This is how you want it if you're a baseball fan. The two best teams during the regular season are facing off in the World Series.

Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox finished with identical 97-65 records, earning the top seeds for the playoffs in their respective leagues. Often you see the giants get slain before they can make it to the Fall Classic.

This is only the third time since 1994 that the No. 1 seeds in both leagues have gotten this far, via ESPN Stats and Info.

When the St.