MLB Free Agency

In recent weeks, several teams have locked up franchise icons, including the Giants' Buster Posey, the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and the Tigers' Justin Verlander. Without these key players hitting free agency in coming years, teams will have to work with what remains. 

A few players stand to gain tremendously from these signings, but will need to put up good numbers this season if they want to cash in on long-term deals this offseason. Here are my top five free agents in need of a strong 2013 campaign.

I've never been comfortable with the Yankees' current catching situation.

Especially because the Yankees lost their previous one, who was looking for more money, to free agency.

And then, I got an idea for a potential starter.

On Tuesday, I had first mentioned the idea of Ramon Hernandez for the Yankees.

With spring training starting to get underway, MLB teams will be closely examining their rosters to see who can make the biggest impact. However, there are still a number of players that remain free agents looking to make a difference for any of the 30 teams.

Opening Day is getting closer, and teams are in a flurry trying to make last-minute moves to position themselves for contention come spring. 

The Cleveland Indians are undoubtedly one of the busiest teams, signing a slew of big names, most recently Michael Bourn. 

However, as we learn almost every year through free agency, all that glitters is not gold. 

With Michael Bourn signing with Cleveland, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is now the biggest name on the free-agent market.

Although spring training is just under way, there are still a number of quality free agents available who could have a big impact with a team.

Pitchers and catchers are just about ready to report for spring training, but there are still some important free agents on the market.

Even though they might not be frantic, I am sure that the remaining players are looking for a favorable contract in an ideal location.

Time is running out though, so some of these men will need to perhaps take one-year contracts, hope for a big year and try to cash in on a bigger deal next year.

The San Francisco Giants' offseason tour down memory lane continued on Tuesday when the team reportedly re-acquired free agent reliever Ramon Ramirez on a minor league contract (h/t Andrew Baggarly).

With just a few weeks separating teams all across the major leagues from spring training, we're beginning to get a clear picture of what the rosters may look like come Opening Day.

A number of high-profile signings highlighted the offseason, though many other moves that haven't received nearly as much attention could still yield just as much upside.

We're all excited to see what the season will bring—but in the meantime, here's a rundown of some major ($25 million-plus) MLB signings that went down over the winter.

Pitchers and catchers are slated to report to their spring training camps starting on February 11, yet top free agent Michael Bourn has yet to find a home.