MLB trade rumors never go away, even when things on the baseball front quiet down around the holidays, as is usually the case.

We've seen some pretty big free agent signings this offseason, chief among them being Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee. There have also been some pretty big trades, such as the Adrian Gonzalez and Zack Greinke deals.

But spring training is still many moons away, and there is still plenty of time for GMs around baseball to work out some last minute deals.

With that in mind, here are 15 players that could be dealt before spring training starts.

The Baltimore Orioles have been in the news this week quite a bit.  First it was the startling developments of reliever Alfredo Simon in the alleged shooting on New Year's Eve.  Then some positive personnel developments with the acquisition of first baseman Derrek Lee (pending physical) and closer Kevin Gregg.

The icing on the cake for the O's and their fans was the news today that Roberto Alomar has been elected to the Hall of Fame.

BaseballAmerica.com recently released its top 10 prospect list for the Washington Nationals, and coming in at No. 3, is second baseman Danny Espinosa.

Aaron Fitt of Baseball America recently told masn.com’s Byron Kerr that, "Long Beach State is a shortstop factory with Troy Tulowitzki, Bobby Crosby and Evan Longoria played shortstop for a year when he was there. Espinosa is the next guy in that progression."

Earlier today, three overqualified Hall of Fame caliber first basemen were denied entry into Cooperstown. 

The first two, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, committed their steroid sins and, right or wrong, are serving their time as the first official martyrs of Bud Selig’s “Steroid Era.”

The third player, Jeff Bagwell, committed an egregious crime of his own.  

He had the audacity to be born in 1968.

Despite opening a brand new outdoor stadium, re-signing their franchise catcher for the better part of the next decade, and winning their division in relatively easy fashion, the Minnesota Twins 2010 season would end the same as in previous years.

Yet another first round elimination at the hands of the New York Yankees would leave Twins fans wondering what it would take to succeed in October.

The 2010 MLB season featured plenty of break-out performances. From Joey Votto and Carlos Gonzalez to David Price, there were plenty of new stars in the game.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have players that already have experienced success in their careers, but in 2010, they were considered disappointments. Whether it be due to injuries, age or just poor performances, here are 10 players that need to play much better in 2011.

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It was only a couple months ago that the Rangers were (near) the top of the baseball world.  They fulfilled their role as David, when slaying the Goliath Yankees, and endeared themselves to millions of baseball fans across the country with their love of all things hustle.

We have reached the late afternoon of Major League Baseball's offseason drama.

The shadows are getting rather long out on the stage, and many of the main characters of this play have long since finished acting out their scenes and have gone back home to rest up for the remainder of the winter.  Even some of the secondary players have reached their destinations.  Brandon Webb, welcome to Texas.  Derrek Lee, Baltimore has a great ballpark.

The free agent cycle for baseball seems to be wrapping up. The final major names are beginning to get contracts, and most teams have stopped shopping around and are just trying to get things sorted out for next season.

While some teams made moves to make a playoff push next year, other teams have gotten rid of their stars and are relying on rebuilding this year. Nonetheless, there are a few teams that are continuing to make moves, even as spring training approaches. Which teams are set, and which continue to make moves?

On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2011. There's no telling how the results will shake out, but after seeing how the voters have gone the last few years, one thing's for sure: they'll get it wrong.