MLB

With the new year rapidly approaching and fanbases starting to count the days until the start of spring training, the MLB hot stove has started to cool a bit since the winter meetings came and went.

That being said, there is still a lot of offseason to go before Cactus and Grapefruit League action gets underway, and we could see at least a few more significant trades before then.

It's not uncommon for a player to go from being a top prospect to being trade bait in a matter of years. That sort of thing happens all the time.

But Jurickson Profar? He's a different story. The Texas Rangers' 22-year-old middle infielder is definitely a former top prospect, but his status as trade bait is...well, even "complicated" is putting it lightly.

First, let's get this out of the way: Jose Fernandez won't come cheap, if he comes at all.

The Miami Marlins are under no obligation to trade the 23-year-old budding ace. And if they do, they'll demand a king's ransom.

Yoenis Cespedes had help, but the fact is the New York Mets were just two games over .500 when he arrived and National League champions when he left. Cespedes isn't perfect, but the fact is his teams have gone 334-229 in games he has started and 179-229 when he hasn't.

Former MLB third baseman Frank Malzone, who made six All-Star teams with the Boston Red Sox, died Tuesday. He was 85.

The Red Sox confirmed Malzone's death on their Twitter feed.    

Major League Baseball trade rumors are hot this time of year. The New York Yankees landed former Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman in a deal for four minor leaguers Monday, and there should be plenty more moves on the horizon.

Just when you thought it was safe to take a break from the Hot Stove League, the New York Yankees shocked the baseball universe by sending a four-player package to the Cincinnati Reds for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, a player many believed was immovable due to his current off-field issues.

Every year in MLB, we're treated to the out-of-nowhere emergence of more than one new star. 

While it may be out of the blue to most of the baseball world, players like Matt Duffy, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts all showed signs that a breakout was on the horizon during the previous season. 

When Kenta Maeda took the mound for one of his final starts with the Hiroshima Carp, about three dozen major league scouts made their way to Koshien Stadium to watch. That's three dozen, as in more than 30, meaning on that September afternoon, some big league teams had more than one set of eyes watching the 27-year-old right-hander.

And that was for just one of Maeda's 29 regular-season starts in 2015.

The Los Angeles Angels probably don't need to be told this, but they should feel blessed to have Mike Trout. He's been a regular since 2012—a historically awesome regular since 2012.

But now for something that maybe the Angels do need to be told: They should be mindful of Trout's historical awesomeness possibly going to waste.