Outfielder Carlos Beltran will spend his 20th MLB season in Houston after signing a one-year, $16 million contract with the Astros on Saturday. 

Although the winter meetings are sure to bring plenty of shakeups across Major League Baseball, the trade hot stove is already kicking into high gear with several huge names reportedly available for the right price.

Many of the top free agents remain untouched thus far, and while those dominoes promise to fall in the near future, some of the biggest moves made this offseason may occur on the trade market due to an apparent willingness to orchestrate some blockbuster swaps.

The baseball world is about to descend on National Harbor in Maryland, as MLB's 2016 winter meetings are set to kick off on Monday. And things are sure to be rather interesting.

Under normal circumstances, a pitcher coming off a major shoulder procedure who posted an 11.81 ERA in extremely limited action the previous season wouldn't be a winter head-turner.

These aren't normal circumstances.

The free-agent shelves are bare, especially in the starting pitcher department. Marquee trade options may require ludicrous expenditures of young talent. 

Enter Tyson Ross. Flawed as he is, he's a name worth following.

Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols' status for Opening Day in 2017 could be up in the air after undergoing surgery on his right foot.

Continue for updates.

The San Diego Padres have made this year's crop of free-agent pitchers more intriguing by opting not to give right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross a contract for 2017. 

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Padres did not tender Ross a contract, and he immediately becomes a free agent. 

The recently signed labor agreement answers so many questions, namely that we’ll have baseball in 2017. But also that free agency is sure to begin in short order.

Over the next several weeks, which include the baseball winter meetings, a flurry of deals should be made—both in free agency and the trade market. But given that there has been little action this offseason, there is so much we don’t know about how the next few weeks might play out.

And, well, this raises a whole bunch of other questions. Let’s go ahead and try to get some answers.

While there have been a few significant moves already in MLB since the World Series wrapped up roughly a month ago, things generally don't get going until the annual winter meetings, which are set for Dec. 4-8 in National Harbor, Maryland.

There figures to be no shortage of blockbuster trades and notable free-agent signings during the upcoming four-day event, but before that happens, let's make some predictions.

There's a video you can find on the internet showing Eric Thames wearing a crown made of flowers, just after he was named Most Valuable Player last year in South Korea.

Good luck finding anything like that from Kris Bryant or Mike Trout.

If anyone's having trouble imagining Andrew McCutchen wearing something other than a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, don't worry. Soon you won't have to.

Because it'll be reality.