MLB Free Agency

It's still too early to declare a team as a "winner" or "loser" at this point in the offseason. Because there's still plenty of time left for them to make trades and several impact players still available on the free-agent market, the perception of how a team's offseason has gone can change in a moment's notice. 

A lot has happened, though, and there are teams that have certainly established themselves as having had a successful offseason and those who have either made enough questionable moves or non-moves to give their fanbase a reason to be disappointed. 

It's hard enough to find five good starting pitchers. But the high occurrence of injuries to pitchers in this day and age commonly forces teams to utilize at least eight or nine starting pitchers to get through a 162-game season.

As a result, certain characteristics have become extremely important when assembling a starting rotation. Without a good combination of consistency, durability and reliability, things can get ugly very quickly. 

This is what the Arizona Diamondbacks have been waiting for. Masahiro Tanaka will be posted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles after a contentious battle with MLB over the posting fee.

What is Masahiro Tanaka worth?

That question is bound to dominate Major League Baseball for the next few weeks, now that the star Japanese pitcher has officially been posted after months of expectation, speculation and anticipation.

Suffice it to say, the 2014 MLB free-agent market is getting thin. 

Sure, Nelson Cruz is still available. Plus, a number of front-line starters are patiently waiting for new deals while the Masahiro Tanaka saga holds up the entire market for starting pitchers. Of course, all of those players are expected to command top dollar. 

The MLB hot stove has cooled off considerably in recent weeks. Many of the top free agents have come off the board, which has allowed those left on the market to await offers from teams desperate to fill a hole, with trades being the alternative option.

Attention, holiday shoppers: If you're a general manager of a Major League Baseball team, there may not be much available in position players anymore, but they're not quite sold out just yet, and there still are pitchers galore ready to be plucked from the shelves in time for the new year.

As the calendar gets ready to flip, here's a rundown of the top names who remain up for grabs as either free-agent factors or trade targets.

Earlier this month, Bleacher Report had an exclusive opportunity to speak with Craig Breslow of the Boston Red Sox as a part of his Strike 3 Foundation's involvement with GE's 3-D printing technology. 

Christmas is around the corner, but don't expect an impact outfielder under the tree from your favorite baseball team. 

Unless Nelson Cruz is the apple of your eye, the outfield market is close to bone-dry before 2014 begins due to a flurry of activity at the top of the market.

Back in April, I ranked the 10 worst MLB free-agent signings of the past decade, with a focus on two recent signings—Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton of the Los Angeles Angels—that were already in serious danger of joining them.