Fan News

Not too long ago, the New York Mets went after the top-tier free agents as aggressively as the Yankees and Red Sox. Recently, with the departures of Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey, they have become the team known for shipping their starts out of town.

The big news this week on the Justin Upton front is that the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a three-year, $26 million deal with Cody Ross (details at ESPN). The addition of Ross could spur the Diamondbacks into moving the 25-year-old outfielder.

It's been a quiet offseason so far for the New York Yankees. Brian Cashman and the front office only gave fans one new present for the holiday season in Kevin Youkilis (the rest, re-signing Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda and Ichiro Suzuki, were recycled gifts).

Most bidding wars revolve around heavily hyped free agents, but lower quality MLB players are attracting interest in the offseason’s waning weeks.

Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Adam Laroche and Rafael Soriano round out some of the bigger names left in free-agency, but they are not drawing as much attention from teams weary of doling out long-term deals and sacrificing compensation draft picks.

That leaves smaller role players getting the star treatment from teams looking for a cheap veteran to temporarily fill a hole.

MLB fans of every team witnessed big moves during this past year in the form of signings, firings, contract extensions and trades. Expect more of the same in 2013.

This list identifies inevitable player and management decisions. Some could be completed on New Year's Day, while others involving the upcoming free-agent crop won't occur until after the World Series.

Whatever your allegiance, there's something to look forward to.

It didn't have to be this way for the New York Mets and their fans.

Not in one of the newer, most beautiful ballparks in the game. Not in the greatest city in the world. Not now that the Wilpons are free of the Bernie Madoff disaster. Not in a season in which the eyes of the entire baseball world will be on the New York Mets in July when they play host to the Midsummer Classic.

To put it bluntly, signing Nick Swisher doesn't make the Cleveland Indians a contender for the American League Central.

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn is now dealing with a shallow pool of available free agents. Not so thin, however, that the White Sox cannot find a free-agent steal among them.

As Hahn wades through what free agents are left, there are two areas the White Sox must address.

The Colorado Rockies are looking for relief help in their overworked bullpen going forward in 2013 and have taken a low-risk chance on pitcher Mike McClendon that could pay dividends.

Today is Christmas, and that means two things: 55 days until Pitchers and Catchers report, and 115 days until Opening Day.

As we celebrate the Holiday season and get ready to celebrate the New Year, let's take a look at the upcoming season at what will be memorable, breathtaking, and unforgettable moments in the 2013 MLB season.

Begin Slideshow