Preview/Prediction

While most of Major League Baseball's free agent activity generally doesn't occur until after Thanksgiving or even until the winter meetings, which start on December 9, the Philadelphia Phillies have been active nonetheless in the open market thus far. They've inked outfielder Marlon Byrd to a two-year, $16 million contract and also re-signed catcher Carlos Ruiz to a three-year, $26 million deal.

With a few weeks' worth of free-agent signings and trades in the rearview, the markets at each position have taken shape and shifted to varying degrees. And with many more weeks to go on the unofficial Hot Stove calendar—a stretch that includes the upcoming Winter Meetings, the signature event of the offseason—more trades are likely to be struck.

Hall of Fame voting results won't be announced until Jan. 8, but this year's ballot was announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday afternoon.

Headlining this year's class of first-time eligible players are former Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and White Sox slugger Frank Thomas. Starter Mike Mussina and second baseman Jeff Kent also figure to get a decent amount of support in their first go-around.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the Winter Meetings scheduled for Dec. 9-12, the MLB rumor mill that is already in full swing will only heat up in the days and weeks ahead.

Sifting through the daily batch of rumors can be overwhelming, and more often than not, they wind up being nothing more than rumor, but there are inevitably some truths sprinkled in as well.

MLB teams are not messing around this offseason.

Before the rest of us can cut Thanksgiving short to save some dough for a flat-screen TV, many baseball squads have already purchased expensive gifts for their fans. General managers have not yet gathered for the annual winter meetings, but they're already busy hammering home deals before the holidays.

The latest news on baseball's international free-agent front is that a pair of high-profile Cuban players have defected and already established residency in another country.

The MLB offseason has only been going on for a few weeks, but it's already been quite a busy one in 2013, as rumors about a number of big players continue to come up.

The 2014 offseason will be an exciting one for MLB. There are many intriguing and desirable names that fans want their team to land. With big names such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Shin-Soo Choo headlining the free agency market, the rest of the free agents should not be overlooked.

While it's the big-name free agents signing multi-year, $100 million-plus contracts that steal the offseason headlines, the value moves teams make to fill out their roster and save payroll space are just as important to building a championship team.

Whether it's a player primed for a bounce-back season, a veteran looking to prove he still has something left in the tank or simply a second-tier option that will cost less than the marquee name at the position, there are plenty of value plays to be made each winter.

Every MLB team has an idea of how they think their offseason will play out, or at least how they would like it to, but rarely do things go according to plan during the MLB offseason.

Whether it's a surprise player hitting the trade market and changing the market for other players at his position, a free-agent signing with an unexpected suitor, a player opting against re-signing when he's expected to and hitting the open market or something else altogether, there is no shortage of reasons an offseason can be altered.