While attention might be shifted toward college football or the NFL as we descend into winter, Major League Baseball's offseason is staying hot as the winter meetings are set to kick off on Monday from Nashville, Tennessee.
For four days, the landscape around the league will be changed as many players, free agents and trade targets alike, are set to find new homes.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest trade rumors heading into the winter meetings.
Brett Lawrie
After just one season with the Oakland Athletics after coming over from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Josh Donaldson deal, infielder Brett Lawrie could be on his way out of Oakland, according to ESPN's Buster Olney:
Lawrie, who started the season at third base with the A's, was moved to second after the team acquired Danny Valencia from Toronto.
Valencia hit .284 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in just 47 games with the Athletics, while Lawrie hit .260/16/60 in 149 games.
Now with the A's acquiring second baseman Jed Lowrie from the Houston Astros on Nov. 25, Lawrie could be expendable.
An American League executive spoke with John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News.
"I don't see how they don't trade one of those guys,'' he said. "That's a logjam there, and that's not a team that can afford logjams."
At 25, Lawrie is younger than both Valencia and Lowrie, which makes him a more attractive target to teams that are looking for infield help.
Shelby Miller
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Shelby Miller experienced the worst season of his career in the win-loss column with a 6-17 record. But don't let the numbers completely fool you.
The 25-year-old posted a solid 3.02 ERA in a career-high 205.1 innings pitched, while giving up a career-low 13 home runs.
He's garnering some interest on the trade market, too. According to Olney, the Arizona Diamondbacks are pushing for Miller while the Braves are looking for an outfielder. One of the names that has popped up in a proposed deal was outfielder A.J. Pollock, who put together his first All-Star season at age 28 with 20 home runs and 76 RBI.
But according to SportingNews.com's Alec Brzezinski, the Diamondbacks won't be giving up Pollock any time soon.
After signing free agent pitcher Zack Greinke as their new ace, the Diamondbacks could still use help in the middle of the rotation. Of pitchers that started 15 games or more last season, only one had an ERA under 3.60. Bringing in Miller could help add some quality depth.
For the Braves, an outfielder with some power is a necessity. Last season they did not receive much production, seeing Nick Markakis, Cameron Maybin and Jonny Gomes, who was later dealt to the Kansas City Royals, combine for 20 home runs, as many as Pollock hit.
Cubs Looking For Bullpen Help
The Chicago Cubs made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with a young crop of upcoming stars. One of them, Hector Rondon, anchored the team's bullpen, converting 30 saves during his third year in the league.
Chicago didn't necessarily have a struggling bullpen. They ranked 18th in the league with 19 blown saves and their bullpen had an ERA of 3.38, ranked in the top-10 in the league.
According to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, that doesn't look like it's good enough for the Cubs:
Without particular names, one cannot deduce exactly which closers the Cubs might go after, but Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal does list a few possible options:
The Pittsburgh Pirates' Mark Melancon led the league with 51 saves while the Cincinnati Reds' Aroldis Chapman is one of the most explosive, regularly eclipsing the 100 mile-per-hour mark. However it might be difficult to trade within the division for such big-name players.
Of course, it will all come down to what each team is looking for.
With a bevy of young talent, it remains to be unseen what products the Cubs are willing to part with in order to further bolster their bullpen.
While the talks are exploratory at the moment, they could really heat up during the winter meetings. So that is something to look out for.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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