After a relatively slow start, baseball's offseason has kicked into overdrive.

Four notable names—Erick Aybar (Los Angeles to Atlanta), Jeremy Hellickson (Arizona to Philadelphia), Craig Kimbrel (San Diego to Boston) and Andrelton Simmons (Atlanta to Los Angeles)—have been traded over the past week, and if the rumor mill is any indication, that's only the beginning.

1. Gobble, Gobble

Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go!

The horse knows the way, to carry the sleigh

And, ahem…how much, exactly, do I weigh?

A stock-piled offseason of free agents is about to get into full swing in Major League Baseball with some of the game's top pitchers and position players ready to narrow down their suitors and sign offers for their futures.

Baseball is a fickle sport. 

Year in and year out, players scratch their heads as their performances fluctuate from exhilarating highs to frustrating lows. Over the next few slides, we'll take a look at some players in the current offseason market who are poised to bounce back in 2016. 

By digging deep into the numbers, there are trends that bode well for future production. ERA and batting average tell part of the story, but there are more telling numbers when looking at a player's stat sheet. 

The Atlanta Braves started the process a year ago.

The plan, wisely implemented and shrewdly executed by a new front-office regime led by president of baseball operations John Hart and general manager John Coppolella, was to build the franchise into a youthful contender by the time it opened its new suburban stadium in 2017. That meant trading away much of the club’s core and stockpiling young pitching.

It's not even officially winter yet and the MLB hot stove is already up and cooking, with a couple of big trades going down in mid-November.

The Rookie of the Year is about performance, not potential.

When it comes to the New York Mets, two things are very clear:

Youth was served in great, big, heaping helpings in the 2015 MLB season. We witnessed one of the best rookie classes in recent memory—and of all time, for that matter.

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson from the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed prospect Sam McWilliams, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.