Veteran second baseman Howie Kendrick re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. MLB Network's Jon Heyman confirmed the news.

The weekend-long Cubs Convention wouldn't start until Friday, but Chicago Cubs fans were already on high alert at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Chicago on Tuesday night.

The former fan favorite was bundled up in an attempt to counter the freezing Chicago winter, but that didn't stop more than a few fans from recognizing and approaching him.

Great starting pitching wins championships, and more than a few times over the years, a team has rode a pair of aces to a World Series title.

Generally a starting rotation is judged by the collective abilities of all five guys, and oftentimes the sixth and seventh guy up, as depth is paramount over the course of a 162-game season.

But what if we were to judge teams based only on the two starters fronting their respective staffs?

Spring is approaching, people. We know this because with pitchers and catchers due to start reporting on February 18, spring training is now just a couple weeks away.

That means there's precious little time for teams to do any last-minute shopping before spring training begins. So, we're here to help out with a few suggestions.

Five suggestions, to be exact. There are four big-name free agents who are still looking for work. We're going to find homes for them, as well as one big-name trade candidate.

There's a new star duo in town in Arizona. Determined to upgrade their starting pitching, the Diamondbacks aggressively added ace right-handers Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller to their rotation earlier this winter.

Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Yovani Gallardo and Howie Kendrick have a lot in common.

They're all quality big leaguers, and they're all unemployed. That second similarity is a product of that nasty draft-pick compensation they're lugging around after declining qualifying offers from their old employers.

Doug Fister is fresh off arguably the most difficult season of his career, and he is ready to change directions.

With just about three weeks to go before pitchers and catchers begin reporting to spring training, the baseball season draws ever closer. Yet a number of notable free agents remain unsigned, which—you'd think—would lead to a flurry of activity in the days ahead.

Yet the rumor mill has remained silent in regard to many of those players. Whether it's because teams are at their payroll limits or choosing to hold onto some disposable income for later, when injuries could require them to make a substantial addition, there's not much cash available for those free agents.

As we get ready for the start of spring training in less than a month, now is the time that top prospect lists are unveiled around the baseball world.

Prospects are generally ranked on a team-by-team basis to show how each farm system stacks up and then on a league-wide basis to give an idea of how the top young players in the minor leagues compare as they make their way toward the majors.

However, we're going to do something a little different here.

Of ESPN's first 10 announced Sunday Night Baseball telecasts for 2016, five feature either the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox. Three feature the Yankees and the Red Sox.