Preview/Prediction

The Seattle Mariners' list of free-agent targets is quickly shrinking.

The market for free-agent hitters thinned out quickly Monday when the Boston Red Sox reportedly agreed to sign Pablo Sandoval, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, as well as Hanley Ramirez, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.

The 2015 MLB Hall of Fame ballot is set to officially be released Monday, and with it comes the start of this year's debate over who deserves to be immortalized in Cooperstown.

Among the newcomers to the ballot are a trio of pitchers who were among the best of their generation in Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz.

The first-timers will join 17 holdovers from last year's ballot, led by Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines, who all received at least 45 percent of the vote last year.

Even though they missed out on catcher Russell Martin in free agency, the Chicago Cubs still have plenty of targets left in play. Most free agents they currently have an interest in would be more of role players, with the exception of ace Jon Lester. Any other elite pitching they pursue this offseason could be in the form of a trade.

Rumor turned to report when the MLB offseason's first blockbuster trade unfolded Monday.

Following constant buzz about the Atlanta Braves shopping Jason Heyward, they dealt him and relief pitcher Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. MLB's Twitter page pounced on the news:

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.

The Pittsburgh Pirates reunited with a familiar friend Friday. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that they signed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a one-year deal.  

With Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw claiming MVP honors on Thursday night, the 2014 MLB awards season has officially wrapped up.

Jacob deGrom claimed NL Rookie of the Year honors after a surprise season for the New York Mets, while Cuban slugger Jose Abreu took home AL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously after ranking as one of the league's top sluggers.

For the first time in more than two decades, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made headlines for seemingly all the right reasons, going from perennial losers to championship contenders after making the postseason in each of the last two seasons.  

Can we properly say that the Pirates truly have been a legitimate contender for a World Series title though?  

A deep group of pitchers has made this year's free-agent class an interesting one, but MLB teams have an opportunity to work outside the box with a number of international free agents.