Carl Crawford

Most of the Hot Stove headlines in Major League Baseball will go to the big-ticket free agents that have landed on the open market. Prudent teams, however, can often make major improvements to their rosters by targeting less-heralded players in free agency.

Given the big-money nature of MLB salaries in the 21st century, it's hard to argue that any free agent signing is a true bargain, but when looking at players from a cost-to-production perspective, second-tier free agents can frequently pay big dividends.

Recently, The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo entertained the idea that Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka could generate some serious trade interest if the Sox chose to put him on the block.

He cited an informal poll of baseball execs as the basis of his claims that moving Daisuke could generate a lot of interest among the baseball community

This is certainly not a new idea, as his inconsistency on the mound and unwillingness to adapt to a more aggressive style of pitching has frustrated many Red Sox fans.

The 2010 World Series is not over yet, but that doesn't mean it's too early to talk about players who could be changing teams this offseason.

Notable playoff players such as Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth and Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford all could start with different teams next April on opening day 2011.

Free agency and trades make the hot stove season very exciting, and this winter is sure to see major players switch cities.

Next, we will look at 10 significant players who are free agents or may likely be traded this winter.

This year's free-agent class is fairly weak overall. This is true of the available outfielders as well. There is a lot of good talent at the top of the class, but from there, it declines fairly quickly.

With many teams looking to fill a hole in their outfield, you can expect a few bidding wars to occur over some of these players.

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Every year, members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America fulfill their duties by voting for the Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. And every year, they find new ways to screw up.

Remember when Justin Morneau was named AL MVP in 2006? Or when Bartolo Colon took home the AL Cy Young in 2005? Just last year, a majority of voters chose Adam Wainwright over one or both of Chris Carpenter and Tim Lincecum for the NL Cy Young, therefore implicitly declaring that wins are somehow the most important pitching statistic.

I recently looked into who will be available in this year’s free agent class. There are many big names, but these names will likely come with expensive price tags. Additionally, many of these big name players are not so young anymore.

Whoever is in charge of making the decisions in Queens (which according to Jeff Wilpon we will find out shortly!), it might be a wise strategy to avoid these big-name free agents and either improve the team via trade or letting the young players develop.

Free agency. It is what consumes GMs, owners, players and fans during baseball’s offseason.

This free agent market looks to rival that of 2008-09, when the New York Yankees went on a shopping spree scooping up CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett and Nick Swisher.

The aggressive pursuit of free agents by the New York Yankees has become the norm every offseason.

Now, with the Yankees on the brink of elimination, it's time to start looking toward next year.

Before looking around the league for help, there are some pressing issues to attend to on the home front.

The Bronx Bombers need to decide what to do with aging pillars Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

Could two of the most polarizing Yankees ever really be allowed to walk?

As the playoffs wrap up, a World Series champ is crowned, and several players are given the MVP and Cy Young awards for their efforts, other players are looking to next year.

These are players that may or may not be sure of where they're playing, and are looking forward to see just how much money they will be making over the next few years. Likewise, any teams that have deep pockets and any holes in their lineup will be looking through what's out there and will try and make their team the best that it can be heading into 2011.

Sometimes when making an effort to rebuild a team, many general managers make the mistake of choosing the best player available on the market rather than addressing one particular area where the squad is weak.

Instead of paying millions for a superstar, then trying to find out how or where a certain player will mesh with the team, the good general managers will first break down the specific needs of the club and make a checklist, then when considering any new additions, they check to make sure that each prospective player meet the required criteria.