NL West

The Major League Baseball winter meetings are set to kick off in a week, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be active players in Southern California.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have already made several minor moves since taking over the front office in October, but there are still question marks facing the team in the midst of a culture shift.

Fresh off their third World Series title in five years, the business of baseball moves on for the San Francisco Giants.

Pablo Sandoval has signed with the Boston Red Sox, leaving a gaping hole at third base and in the middle of the Giants' batting order. In addition to third base, general manager Brian Sabean is also in the market for a left fielder, starting pitcher and right-handed reliever.

The second the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman as their president of baseball operations and jettisoned former general manager Ned Colletti into a role untied to player personnel, the team was without a shortstop for 2015. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers front office has begun wheeling and dealing this offseason, acquiring low-cost pitching help over the past two weeks.

New President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman went the familiar route with his first move, trading for former Tampa Bay Rays reliever Joel Peralta and Rays minor league left-hander Adam Liberatore.

Suddenly, the San Francisco Giants have a panda-sized hole to fill.

When I discussed the players the Los Angeles Dodgers had sent to the Arizona Fall League, I mentioned that many of the top players were position players. The pattern held; over the course of the month, the hitters far outperformed the pitchers. This is not surprising given the talent disparity, but it's noteworthy.

Entering the offseason, general manager Brian Sabean and the San Francisco Giants front office faced a question regarding free agent Pablo Sandoval that seemingly had no correct answer.

This offseason is shaping up to be a different one for the Los Angeles Dodgers as it pertains to free agency.

With a revamped front office led by Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, the culture of the team has changed. While the Dodgers are still one of the richest teams in the league, it appears that throwing the most money at free agents may soon be replaced by a more analytical approach to improving the roster.

We all knew it was a matter of when, not if, Jeremy Hellickson's days with the Tampa Bay Rays were officially over.

San Francisco Giants pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball due to a failed drug test. 

According to Alex Pavlovic of The San Jose Mercury News, Mejia tested positive for a banned stimulant: