Rankings/List

After winning 92 games and a Wild Card berth in 2013, the last thing the Cleveland Indians would want to do is trade away staff ace Justin Masterson, who is currently the lone projected starter with at least one full big league season under his belt. If anything, they need to add another reliable starter to the mix.

Earlier this month, Major League Baseball took a rather massive step into the 21st Century when the players union and umpires association both agreed to expand the use of instant replay, and the vote was unanimous among all 30 clubs, too.

At last, the question of whether A.J. Burnett will retire or return to pitch in 2014 has been answered.

There are a number of dark-horse prospects who could make the New York Mets' roster on Opening Day, and with pitchers and catchers arriving to Port St. Lucie, Fla., in the next few weeks, it’s easy to get excited about them already.

Every prospect feels pressure to surpass expectations upon reaching the major leagues. After all, if the player is a high-profile prospect, then chances are he’s already viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone.

However, that’s nothing compared to the pressure felt by a prospect tabbed for an everyday role in The Show to begin a season. Such a scenario usually involves prospects that have at least tasted the major leagues—guys who understand what’s at stake and will do everything in their power to relish the opportunity.

After an exceptionally slow start to 2014, suddenly a ton of MLB stars have agreed to new deals for the upcoming season.

Much of the activity has resulted from clubs and players looking to avoid the messy arbitration process. Friday marked the final day for arbitration-eligible players and teams to exchange salary figures, with potential arbitration hearings looming in mid-February.

2013 ended with another disappointing first-round loss for the Cincinnati Reds. It led to the firing of Dusty Baker. Outside the big bats of Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, which players will be instrumental to the Reds' advancing deeper in the postseason? 

Ranking Criteria

To rank the players, I used past statistics as well as potential upside. A player who has been a consistent producer could be behind a player who could be a game changer for the Reds for that reason.

If only New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis could be the player he was in the second half of 2012 (.888 OPS, 20 HR in 75 games) over the course of a full season, he likely wouldn't be on the trade block this offseason. And if he were, teams would be much more willing to match general manager Sandy Alderson's asking price for the 26-year-old.

Trade rumors may have died down and teams are gearing up for the start of spring training, which is approaching quickly. But that doesn't mean that trade talks aren't happening between teams. Things do tend to happen in baseball when you least expect it. 

Last offseason's seven-player trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves involving Justin Upton, Martin Prado and Chris Johnson didn't take place until January 24.

Last month, I took a different approach to breaking down the MLB offseason. Instead of assessing a team on how well needs have been filled or how much money has been spent, I focused solely on how much talent has been added to each roster.

In much the same way a college football or basketball program has its offseason evaluated, each addition was assigned a 1-5 rating on the "star" scale, and the team's overall "recruiting class" was scored from there.