Opinion

After a season in which their starting rotation led Major League Baseball with a 2.99 ERA, you'd think a starting pitcher would be the last thing the St. Louis Cardinals would need this winter.

But need one they did. And Tuesday, they found just the man for the job in Mike Leake.

Are you sitting there wondering why the New York Yankees haven't seemed interested in building for 2016 this winter?

Here's a potential spoiler: It might be because they have their eyes on what's coming after 2018.

Perhaps because there are other things going on this time of year, it sure seems like Major League Baseball's offseason market has slowed to a crawl.

Save for one exception. From the sound of it, the situation is moving toward a conclusion in Scott Kazmir's corner of the market.

Opt-out clauses don't sound especially exciting. And they aren't, unless contract loopholes get your pulse pumping.

But they have reshaped the MLB offseason landscape, and they're redefining the nature of marquee free-agent negotiations. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for players and front offices is a matter of some debate.

The MLB offseason is still far from over, but we have already seen a flurry of activity that began well before the winter meetings kicked off and has continued through the winter meetings.

While the top end of the free-agent pitching market has been picked fairly clean, a number of quality second-tier arms remain in the likes of Mike Leake, Scott Kazmir, Yovani Gallardo and others.

For a brief moment in time, the entire belief made a lot of sense. 

It was too logical not to.

Major League Baseball’s free agency and trade market had seen the predictable run on starting pitchers, and even a bunch of relievers. Then, somewhat predictably, the biggest position player on either market, Jason Heyward, signed his megadeal with the Chicago Cubs for $184 million over eight seasons.

It's an even year, San Francisco Giants fans. And that means—well, here's the thing. You want honesty?

It means nothing.

There is no mystical energy that binds the galaxy together and decrees the Giants must hoist a Commissioner's Trophy in 2016. Yes, they won titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. That's a fascinating numerical anomaly, but it's not a harbinger of things to come.

The reignited rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs didn't need any more heat. But Jason Heyward and Mike Matheny went ahead and added some spice anyway.

The Major League Baseball offseason: where teams' wildest dreams come true.

Or, their worst nightmares.

Sad, but true. The offseason definitely giveth, but it can also taketh away and can play really hard to get. There are always teams that find that out firsthand every winter, and some out there are in danger of falling into the trap this winter.

First the good news, Royals fans: Kansas City made an offer to free-agent left fielder Alex Gordon, a key piece of their championship puzzle. The bad news? Gordon basically spit on it.