Key players have already signed new contracts this winter, setting the standard for how the rest of the offseason is going to unfold.
MLB free agency, much like any other sport's free agency, is driven heavily by the depth of the market. Competition for stars will drive their prices up, as will how many other options there are at each position in free agency. That's why you see guys like Russell Martin, a good (but not great) catcher, getting a contract worth $82 million.
Given how early the offseason is, there are still plenty of players left looking for a big contract. There will inevitably be competition for the top players' services. How far will their prices be driven up?
Read below to see the latest rumors and predictions for which teams will win the bidding wars on a few key stars.
Jon Lester
Every team in the bigs could use Jon Lester. Even the World Series champions could benefit from adding him to their staff, and Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that the team has shown interest:
Adding Lester to a rotation already including Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, Matt Cain and possibly Tim Lincecum would again make the Giants favorites in the National League. The lefty will be 31 in January and is coming off arguably his best season in the league.
He posted a 2.46 ERA (2.80 FIP) and a ERA- of 63—well above the league average of 100, via FanGraphs. Lester pitched well in the offensively potent American League East and American League West, meaning a move to the offensively inept National League West could make him even better.
The competition for Lester is fierce. The Boston Red Sox still can't be ruled out despite their recent spending spree, while the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and possibly even the New York Yankees can make a play for the ace.
The Yankees have been reluctant to spend at this point, but Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe described the team's strategy when going after top talents: "[Brian] Cashman is one of the best at not showing his hand. He will downplay every possible move the Yankees should or could make, and when it comes down to doing it, the Yankees pounce swiftly."
That makes the Bombers a true threat.
It's really a toss-up as to where Lester will play in 2015 and beyond. Any number of teams are equipped to take on his impending salary. This is truly a situation where a dark-horse team could emerge, but it's tough to not go with a team with a track record of spending big-time dollars on big-time players.
Prediction: Yankees
Melky Cabrera
It's surprising to think that Melky Cabrera is one of the more underrated players available this winter. He has bounced around a lot in his past four seasons, but that shouldn't change the view of the type of player he is.
The Baltimore Orioles are in need of a right fielder. That could still be Nick Markakis, who is a free agent, but MASN's Roch Kubatko reports that Cabrera is the Plan B: "I've heard from multiple people that he's a 'fallback option' for the Orioles if they can't re-sign Nick Markakis."
Baltimore's interest in Cabrera is likely as an on-base type of player, as the Orioles have struggled to get on base at a consistent clip in recent years—something not conducive to scoring a ton of runs for a team with immense power.
Kubatko notes that their past five OBPs have been .316, .316, .311, .313 and .311. Cabrera can help out in that regard.
Any number of teams should be in on the 30-year-old switch-hitter. His old team, the Toronto Blue Jays, could be maxed out after signing Russell Martin, so that presumably knocks them out of the hunt.
Cabrera is the type of player who could help a lot of teams, making his destination a bit of a question mark. Being a "fallback option" in Baltimore doesn't exactly scream confidence in a deal working out between the two sides.
It'll be a dark-horse team that scoops him up—one with major questions in the outfield.
Prediction: Chicago White Sox
Torii Hunter is lobbying for what will likely be the final contract of his career. The 39-year-old outfielder can still play ball, and the Minnesota Twins are looking to get him back in the Twin Cities to end his career, reports Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com:
LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune echoed Wolfson:
Hunter began his career in Minnesota and played there from 1997 to 2007. He was a fan favorite because of his stellar defense and timely power, so a reunion would certainly reignite the fans.
Wolfson and Neal aren't the only ones who have spoken about a reunion. Hunter himself told Charley Walters of TwinCities.com that he would like to come back to where it all started:
(Twins general manager) Terry Ryan and I have talked several times, and there's definitely a common interest there, for sure.
I would come over to win. All that stuff everybody talks about, 'a great guy in the clubhouse,' that's extra -- that's not No. 1. The No. 1 thing is look at my numbers. They're still the same, one of the most consistent hitters in baseball over my career.
Hunter probably doesn't have more than two years left in the tank, even if he has been the staple of consistency since he left the Twins prior to the 2008 season. Regardless, his connection with new manager Paul Molitor will play a big role in making something happen.
A respected veteran at the tail end of his career, Hunter would make a ton of people happy by returning.
Prediction: Twins
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
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