Opinion

Offseason plans can change in a hurry. Just ask the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the winter meetings, there were rumblings the Pirates were sellers. Specifically, they were shopping center fielder and former franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen. 

There's always going to be a reaction whenever star players change hands on the MLB trade market. Heck, it would be weird if people didn't say, "Wow!" or some other exclamation.

But these days, we're often saying, "Wow!" not at the reality that such players are being traded but at what they're being traded for.

We know this because we can round up a bullet-pointed list of prominent examples from this winter, this summer and last winter. Like so...

First it was Ryan Braun. Now it's Brian Dozier.

It's hardly a surprise to see the Los Angeles Dodgers linked to a right-handed hitter with power, given the difficulties they had against left-handed pitching in 2016. They were the only team to make the playoffs despite a losing record when facing a lefty starter, and they went 0-3 when facing lefties in the postseason.

Braun (1.010 OPS against left-handers in 2016) could help them. Dozier (.965) could, too.

Voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have until Dec. 31 to submit their Hall of Fame ballots, and the results will be announced Jan. 6.

It's not too early to stack up odds for the 2017 class, though, using past trends and exit polling of BBWAA voters as a guide.

There are no first-ballot locks in this group. There are, however, several guys who should keep their schedules clear for the July 30 induction ceremony, including a perennial HOF also-ran in his final year of eligibility. 

The Cleveland Indians left the rest of the American League in their dust in the 2016 MLB playoffs. After winning 94 games in the regular season, they won seven of eight games en route to a near miss in the World Series.      

Rumors, rumors and more rumors. They are the fuel for baseball fanatics in the coldest months and the fodder for discussion when baseball is generally overshadowed by football, basketball and hockey.

Below, we'll break down some of the rumors surrounding the biggest sluggers on the market and predict their most likely destinations. 

Jose Bautista

The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016. And by looking at their roster, it sure looks like they can turn right around and win another in 2017.

So, they might as well set their sights on the more distant future—specifically on how long they can keep Kris Bryant around with a contract extension worthy of his talents.

This MLB offseason offered little in terms of impact pitchers. And as we look to round third base on it, any that were available are now off the market.

The big three closers—Mark Melancon (San Francisco Giants), Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Aroldis Chapman (New York Yankees)—all signed with teams. The Chicago White Sox sent starting pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox, and the Kansas City Royals shipped closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs.

It has left the market for pitchers looking like August in Death Valley.

The Boston Red Sox cleared their starting-pitching logjam Tuesday by trading Clay Buchholz to the Philadelphia Phillies, per FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman.

The MLB trade market has already been vibrant this offseason—even before many of the big names in free agency were taken off the market—but there continues to be plenty of buyers and sellers this winter.

Below, we'll break down a few of the biggest rumors circulating throughout the baseball world.

New York Yankees Showing Interest in Jose Quintana