Preview/Prediction

This is the time of year when the conversations around MLB are dominated by free agency. The chatter regarding the top players available is often so loud that those rumored to be on the trade block are often overlooked.

Well overlook no more. We are going to discuss some trade ideas based on the latest speculation around the game.

The MLB offseason is now in full swing, and with the hot stove kicking into high gear, there are no shortage of rumors to sift through each morning from around the league.

The first big surprise of the offseason came on Monday, when the New York Mets wasted little time signing Michael Cuddyer after he declined his qualifying offer from the Colorado Rockies.

As the baseball industry awaits the first big transaction of the offseason—sorry, Adam Lind for Marco Estrada doesn't exactly get the juices flowing—the focus shifts temporarily to another matter, the individual awards.

Until there's a major move either in the free-agent market or on the trade front, the chases and races for MVP, Cy Young, Manager of the Year and Rookie of the Year hold our attention.

Now that MLB teams are free to negotiate and sign free agents, the period of pure speculation is over. 

Tuesday marks the first official day of free agency, a long process where patience ultimately pays off. Due to qualifying offers, which players must accept or decline this week, a few mid-level players found themselves in purgatory last offseason, waiting as long as past Opening Day to sign for teams reticent to forfeit a compensatory draft pick.

With the World Series now over, MLB free agency can officially begin. The Los Angeles Dodgers are sure to be players in the market as they search for ways to improve their roster after a second consecutive disappointing playoff exit.

When looking around the diamond, positions of concern for the Dodgers include shortstop, catcher, the back end of the starting rotation and the bullpen.

From Pablo Sandoval to Jon Lester, it's officially time for MLB free agents to start cashing in.

Teams from all around the league now have the chance to sift through the market to find that big bat or front-line arm. What follows are projections for which impact player each MLB team will sign this winter.

The Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants are set to face off in a matchup of epic proportions. Both of these teams have been playoff juggernauts and are riding huge waves of momentum heading into the final series of 2014.

The Kansas City Royals have made it all the way to the World Series by virtue of one of the most improbable runs in baseball history, but the San Francisco Giants stand between them and a championship.

Although this World Series matchup may be lacking in terms of star power, it should be intriguing nonetheless. While Kansas City hasn't won a title since 1985, San Francisco is in search of its third championship in five years.

After a short league-championship round, this year's World Series is a matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals.

That might as well read Madison Bumgarner vs. James Shields, as no two players are more vital to their  teams' success than the two projected to start Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

After all of the twists and turns we experience throughout the 2014 MLB playoffs, it's only fitting that two wild-card teams are set to face off in the World Series. SportsCenter is spot on with this tweet:

Both the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals have been playing extremely well in October, but which team has the upper hand in the big dance?