MLB

The Cleveland Indians have been rather inactive over the 2013-14 offseason.

There's an old saying that says don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. That might not be any more true than when it comes to the art of MLB "rumor mongering." In this business, negotiations and posturing often play out in the media, and it's up to us, the readers, to make sense of it.

You can't always discern which reports are legit and which are likely to look silly in a matter of days or weeks, but if you are mindful of a team's needs, its budget and its recent history, it goes a long way toward figuring out what makes sense and what doesn't.

The San Francisco Giants have been very active since their 2013 season ended with a 76-86 record. After winning their second world championship in three years, this past season was a disappointment. 

Injuries and performances that were below the Giants' expectations doomed them to a third-place finish in the NL West. With the Los Angeles Dodgers now very willing and able to spend through the roof, it was incumbent upon Giants general manager Brian Sabean to bolster the roster.

Attention, holiday shoppers: If you're a general manager of a Major League Baseball team, there may not be much available in position players anymore, but they're not quite sold out just yet, and there still are pitchers galore ready to be plucked from the shelves in time for the new year.

As the calendar gets ready to flip, here's a rundown of the top names who remain up for grabs as either free-agent factors or trade targets.

With a roster that is basically settled and returning all of the key pieces from the team that won the 2013 NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in good shape. The recently re-signed Juan Uribe will slot in at third base, which was the only remaining hole on the depth chart.

Oh, the yuletide spirit is among us. As families and friends gather over the holiday season, unwrapping gifts and perusing old photo albums, let us not forget what the Philadelphia Phillies should be wishing for this Christmas season.

With the calendar set to flip from 2013 to 2014, there is still a good deal of MLB offseason left between now and the start of spring training, but already it has started to become clear who will and will not contend in the season ahead.

There are always surprises, as the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles in 2012 and Cleveland Indians this past year can attest to, but it's still fun to predict how things will play out.

The Cincinnati Reds lost top free agent Shin-Soo Choo over the weekend, meaning center field prospect Billy Hamilton's timeline just sped up. Can the fastest man in baseball keep pace?

Closer Addison Reed and third baseman Matt Davidson were recently traded for each other, via MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.

The Los Angeles Dodgers proved in 2013 that they were a force to be reckoned with, winning 62 of their last 90 regular-season games and falling two wins short of their first World Series appearance since 1988.