MLB Free Agency

Per usual, this MLB offseason is filled with interesting moves. Unlike seasons past, however, the amount of activity since the end of the World Series leaves much to dissect when analyzing the surprises and disappointments.

To be clear, we will stay away from individual contracts or trades. Instead, we will focus on things at the franchise level.

Although the winter meetings allowed numerous MLB teams to cross some names off their holiday shopping lists, plenty of big gifts still await.  Even with superstars like Jon Lester and Pablo Sandoval signing with new teams, the league has yet to see a resulting domino effect, and other top-tier players have yet to find new (or old) teams.

As we approach the end of December, there is still work to be done in what has been one of the most eventful MLB offseasons in recent memory.

After a busy month of November, we saw a whirlwind four days in San Diego for the winter meetings, and the big moves have kept coming in the days since as 2014 draws to a close.

From the San Francisco Giants to the Washington Nationals, some of the best teams of 2014 have endured underwhelming offseasons.

The Giants missed out on two of the top free agents of the winter, while the Nationals haven't done much of anything at all. With nearly all the big-money free agents and prominent trade targets already accounted for, it's time to start wondering if the offseason's most inactive contenders should be worrying. 

While the last-minute holiday hordes descend on department stores across America, MLB teams still have time to finish their offseason shopping lists.

But the options are dwindling—fast.

As Christmas approaches, with New Year's nipping at its heels, the number of players left on the shelf keeps shrinking.

That means clubs with glaring holes will have to sharpen their focus, and the few unsigned impact names will have to take realistic stock of their options.

With most of the quality free agents already inked to fresh money, general managers around MLB are formulating trade ideas that will help improve the product on the field.

The New York Yankees need Yoan Moncada, the next Cuban sensation readying to make his way to Major League Baseball. And they need him for oh-so-many reasons.

On Monday we learned the Pittsburgh Pirates have won negotiating rights to Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The Boston Red Sox are one of baseball's most active teams this offseason.  In the last eight weeks, they added high-priced All-Stars to bolster their lineup and made several moves to strengthen their depleted starting rotation.  Boston also re-signed arms for its bullpen and recently completed a trade for a new backup catcher.

But of everything the Red Sox have done so far, which deal brought them the most bang for their buck in return?  Which transaction qualifies as the biggest steal to this point?

With some time having gone by and the New Year almost upon us, it has been a strange offseason thus far for the New York Yankees.