Opinion

Thanks to drug-testing procedures and penalties that were put in place in 2005, Major League Baseball is likely cleaner now than it's been in some time. You can tell by the change in the offensive numbers.

...Or can you?

The San Francisco Giants should have made five moves this offseason in addition to re-signing free agents Jeremy Affeldt, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, and extending the contract of Santiago Casilla.

Rafael Soriano's long ordeal on the free-agent market has come to an end.

As reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the veteran closer is signing with the Washington Nationals:

Source: Rafael Soriano agrees to two-year, $28M deal with Nationals. Deal contains vesting option for third year. Story coming on Y! Sports.

The market for Rafael Soriano was a very slow one this winter.

After opting out of his contract to become a free agent again, teams weren't jumping at the chance to lock up the closer, despite a strong 2012 campaign.

The Boston Red Sox have a number of prospects, including center fielder of the future Jackie Bradley Jr, who are on the horizon and nearly ready for their Fenway Park debut.

Over the past few weeks, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello has become one of the two hottest trade candidates in MLB (the other being Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton). It appears that half of major league baseball is interested in him and rightfully so.

The struggle between players and management has gone on since the beginning of the sports world. Each side wants to have leverage when the inevitable split occurs. The "no-trade clause" is one of the biggest assets a baseball player can have, and Justin Upton just used his to really affect the Arizona Diamondbacks.

San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean has made sure his 2012 World Series championship team will stay together for the upcoming season and beyond.

In order to keep up in the competitive AL West, the Texas Rangers must sign Kyle Lohse to solidify their rotation. 

Lohse entered free agency as one of the best pitchers on the market, but his age and the draft-pick compensation attached to him have kept him from finding a new home.

With just about a month remaining until pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training, one thing has become increasingly clear for Shaun Marcum and those players still without a contract for the 2013 season.

Time is running out.

Whether it's age, injury history, personalities or draft pick compensation required to sign them, there are a handful of players still available as free agents who can step in and help a team win games in 2013 and beyond.