MLB Free Agency

After an exceptionally slow start to 2014, suddenly a ton of MLB stars have agreed to new deals for the upcoming season.

Much of the activity has resulted from clubs and players looking to avoid the messy arbitration process. Friday marked the final day for arbitration-eligible players and teams to exchange salary figures, with potential arbitration hearings looming in mid-February.

In the midst of a number of splashy moves made around the MLB, the Boston Red Sox have remained very quiet this offseason.

Following its 2013 World Series crown, Boston could have been in a dire situation heading into spring training 2014.  The team had its share of free agents, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Two have already departed, and another may do so soon.

The clock is ticking on the Masahiro Tanaka derby, meaning we're likely near another wave of big free-agent signings just in time for pitchers and catchers to report for spring training. Hard to imagine, but in about a month, the familiar sounds of rawhide smacking the leather in the bullpen will return to Arizona and Florida.

Plenty of Internet ink is spilled on rating and ranking individual players and teams in baseball, but what about doing the same thing for divisions?

Obviously, the offseason isn't over, what with some big names still available in free agency (Masahiro Tanaka, Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Garza and Ervin Santana come to mind) and others on the trade market (David Price, Jeff Samardzija and Andre Ethier, to name a few) who can swing things, depending on where they land.

With roughly a month to go until the start of spring training, the free-agent market has thinned considerably at this point, but there are still a handful of impact players available and a number of secondary roster pieces as well.

The biggest remaining crop of talent can be found in the starting pitching market, where everyone is seemingly waiting to see where Masahiro Tanaka signs. Once he makes his decision, the likes of Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana will likely find homes shortly after as consolation prizes for the teams that lose out on Tanaka.

Get your popcorn ready, folks.

When it comes to the free-agent tour for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, expect a whirlwind of rumors, news and excitement over the next two weeks. By the end of January, the top pitcher on the market will pick a team, starting a domino effect for the rest of baseball's available players.

It might be a likely assumption that the Boston Red Sox are set with the team they hope to carry into spring training in 2014.

The Red Sox have seen a number of changes from the roster that won them the World Series the year prior—the most notable being the losses of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia via free agency.

Marlon Byrd, Bartolo Colon, Scott Feldman, Francisco Liriano, Mike Napoli, Hyun-jin Ryu and Koji Uehara all signed free-agent deals last offseason. All seven made the general manager who signed them look like a genius because their performances far exceeded their contracts.

Which free-agent signees from this offseason will be part of the "Biggest Bargains" group for 2014? Here are my top seven picks. 

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There are no perfect offseasons, though Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington came pretty close last offseason.

There have been several free-agent signings thus far that, at least potentially, have a solid chance of becoming great values for their new teams.

The Blue Jays picked up catcher Dioner Navarro for two years and $8 million after he posted a .856 OPS with 13 homers in 89 games last season. Corey Hart signed a contract with Seattle that guarantees him only $6 million. If he bounces back from knee surgery and returns to the player who posted a .830 OPS between 2007 and 2012, the additional $13 million he could earn from incentives will still be a great bargain.