MLB Rumors

The Major League Baseball winter meetings are set to kick off in a week, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be active players in Southern California.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have already made several minor moves since taking over the front office in October, but there are still question marks facing the team in the midst of a culture shift.

Risk versus reward.

My definition of "value" is based on two simple things: what will a player cost your team versus what will the player provide on the field.

Key players have already signed new contracts this winter, setting the standard for how the rest of the offseason is going to unfold.

The first month of the MLB offseason is the most crucial because it generally establishes which teams are going to be players and which teams are going to sit most of the winter out.

We've now come to roughly the one-month mark, and many teams have already indicated the roles they'll play in the coming weeks. The rumors have swirled since before the World Series ended, but they've now picked up with no more baseball to play. The focus is solely on free agency and the trade market.

The 2014 MLB offseason has been underway for several weeks, meaning it's about that time when we'll start to see some major dominoes fall.

Some big pieces have already fallen. Russell Martin has gone north of the border to the Toronto Blue Jays. Adam LaRoche is headed to the South Side of Chicago to suit up for the White Sox. Billy Butler left the American League champion Kansas City Royals to play for the team they beat in the Wild Card Game, the Oakland Athletics.

There are five main negatives I looked at for a player to qualify for this list: age, injury history, current contract, rumored acquisition cost and opportunity cost.

In a perfect world, teams would trade for young players who are either signed to team-friendly deals or are young and not injury-prone, so signing them to a long-term deal would be a smart move. While the cost in those deals will be higher, the value of high-end, cost-controlled prospects around the league is greater than ever, so it is even more important to get equal value in return.

A few pitchers looking for big contracts this offseason might need the money to pay for hefty phone bills.

Despite a deep list of free agents at the position, a number of starters on the market are already gaining tons of interest on the open market. While it might take some time before decisions are made and contracts are finalized, it is good for each player to know they are in high demand.

The MLB offseason figures to be a busy one for many teams across the league, and we can expect to see many familiar faces in new places once the dust settles.

Winter might be the time you like to cuddle in your blankets, but it's also the time MLB players are getting set to move around.

Baseball is unlike any other sport in that an exorbitant amount of players change homes during the offseason. The winter months are truly a time of activity for MLB clubs, as general managers across the league make acquisitions in order to put together their rosters.

A deep group of pitchers has made this year's free-agent class an interesting one, but MLB teams have an opportunity to work outside the box with a number of international free agents.