MLB Free Agency

Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Yovani Gallardo and Howie Kendrick have a lot in common.

They're all quality big leaguers, and they're all unemployed. That second similarity is a product of that nasty draft-pick compensation they're lugging around after declining qualifying offers from their old employers.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when the best team in baseball wouldn't commit anything more than a three-year contract to a starting pitcher. The Toronto Blue Jays lost some pitchers in the early 1990s, but they won back-to-back World Series.

Imagine trying to do that now.

It's difficult not to admire the aggressive approaches of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox—two of the biggest spenders of the 2015-16 MLB offseason.

No one knows just yet how it will all shake out, but on paper, the upcoming campaign is looking awfully promising for those two franchises. At the same time, some clubs' offseason overhauls don't look nearly as impressive.

Let's take a trip around the league and explore which teams have orchestrated the best and worst winter rebuilds.

Back in November, it seemed the San Diego Padres were taking a risk when they offered $15.8 million to pitcher Ian Kennedy. It seemed like Kennedy was taking just as big a risk when he turned it down.

Seriously, $15.8 million for one year, for a guy who lost 15 games and served up home runs at a higher rate than any other full-time major league starting pitcher? Seriously, he thought he was going to do better than that, especially after the Padres' offer guaranteed he would cost the signing team a draft pick?

Another week. Another round of questions about Yoenis Cespedes, Chris Davis and Justin Upton—baseball's unfortunate free-agent trio.

As Week 10 of the 2015-16 MLB offseason draws to a close, the future remains murky for those prime-time mashers who are still hanging out in a winter purgatory. The good news for one of those guys (and the bad news for another) is that there's a new five-year offer to report.

Just this week, baseball's public relations folks sent out a handy list of spring training reporting dates. Yes, it's getting to be that time of year.

So why doesn't Justin Upton have a job yet?

Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays are not only two of the most dangerous hitters in the American League, but they are also two of the headliners of the 2017 MLB free-agent class.

"Joey Bats" is the top right fielder and Encarnacion is the scariest designated hitter, but who are the prime-time guys at all the other spots?

Free-agent MLB outfielder Gerardo Parra has narrowed down his desired teams to three as he prepares for the next phase of his career.

Continue for updates.

From the arrival of Zack Greinke at Chase Field to the landing of David Price at Fenway Park, it has been an ambitious offseason for big spenders like the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox.

The question now becomes whether that offseason ambition will transform into wins on the field in 2016. As we get set for the latest round of "contender" or "pretender," let's begin by laying out the ground rules.

It's good to be David Price and Jason Heyward.

During the 2015-2016 MLB offseason, the lefty ace and the defensive whiz have raked in contracts that are worth slightly more than $400 million combined.

The big question moving forward is just how well those megadeals will work out for their new employers, the Boston Red Sox (Price) and the Chicago Cubs (Heyward).

In the process of ranking the 15 largest contracts (in terms of overall value) from worst to best, we considered two key factors