Baseball

Of the attractive trade chips in the Philadelphia Phillies' collection, Cole Hamels is the Action Comics No. 1 of the bunch. He's the prized possession, and the one available for the highest price. 

Or so they think. But in reality, his trade value is...well, complicated.

Another unsuccessful bid for a World Series title in 2014 has again prompted an offseason of introspection for the Detroit Tigers. Tweaking their talented—albeit flawed—teams has kept them highly active on the hot stove in recent years. This winter has been no different.

Here's a reminder of what’s happened so far:

Taken in isolation, the trade that landed Seth Smith on the Seattle Mariners won't rock the baseball world.

Taken in the context of Seattle's offseason outfield overhaul, however, it could shift the balance of power in the American League West.

2014 was an exciting year for a suddenly revitalized Seattle Mariners team.

Robinson Cano was brilliant in his first season in Seattle, and Felix Hernandez just missed out on a Cy Young award, leading the Mariners to within one game of a playoff spot after the franchise looked lost for the previous four years.

The 2014 Major League Baseball season has been over for two months, but San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is still reaping the rewards for his postseason heroics. On Tuesday, he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.     

The Tampa Bay Rays may not be done making changes to their roster this offseason. This time, the focus of trade discussions appears to be super-utility player Ben Zobrist.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Rays will at least listen to potential offers for Zobrist and Yunel Escobar:

One of the best under-the-radar free agents of the offseason is officially off the market, as infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has agreed to a contract.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the 29-year-old native of Venezuela has inked a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed the deal and provided some details on the length:

With 2015 set to begin, the Arizona Diamondbacks have issues to address that ailed them throughout this past season. 

The D-Backs 2014 season ended 64-98—the worst record in the MLB.

However, several injuries could be to blame for such a poor year—Paul Goldschmidt, Patrick Corbin, A.J. Pollock and Mark Trumbo, to name a few.

The Boston Red Sox are among the most aggressive teams in baseball so far this offseason.  They signed a pair of big-name free-agent bats in Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.  The Red Sox also revamped their starting rotation with Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson.

When the Toronto Blue Jays first acquired Kyle Drabek in 2009 as part of a package of prospects from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for ace Roy Halladay, the team’s hope was that Drabek would eventually develop into a frontline starter in the major leagues.