MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie phenom Yasiel Puig appeared to make a seamless transition to the big leagues this past season, but things may not have been as easy for him behind the scenes as they were on the field.

UPDATE: Friday, Nov. 15, at 6:40 p.m. ET:

Fans and critics alike were on the edge of their seats awaiting the coveted 2013 MVP award winner announcements. And while the ongoing debates about "Miguel Cabrera versus Mike Trout" were at full force yet again, it will hardly be the last time the pair square off.

Looking ahead to 2014, the potential winners for all major awards could go in a variety of directions. For instance, a strong season from 2013 Rookie of the Year Award-winner Jose Fernandez could unseat ace Clayton Kershaw as the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

Expect the New York Yankees to be at the epicenter of everything free agency this offseason.

Not only are they the franchise with the most money to spend. They also have extremely large holes to fill.

The Yankees will be a possible landing spot for what seems like just about every top free agent available on the market.

General managers from around Major League Baseball wrapped up their initial meetings of the offseason on Wednesday and there weren't any major moves to report. But expect the wheeling and dealing to pick up as we head closer to the Winter Meetings, which will take place Dec. 9-12.

This week saw the annual GM meetings take place in Orlando, and while there is not as much activity as the winter meetings as far as actual transactions go, this is often when the groundwork for later deals is laid.

As a result, the rumor mill has kicked into full swing the past few days—both on the trade market and free-agent fronts—and sorting through all of the news is no easy task.

The Cincinnati Reds knew that they may only get one season of free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo when they traded for him last December.

The acquisition also enabled the organization to take a more conservative approach in its development of prospect Billy Hamilton. 

The MLB rumor mill is grinding away, and the Washington Nationals are in the thick of it, according to MLBTradeRumors.com. 

Nationals fans will want to consider the positives and negatives of each new rumor involving their favorite team. 

Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Phillies jump-started both their offseason and that of the entire major leagues, striking first to sign outfielder and former Phillie Marlon Byrd to a two-year, $16 million contract. Byrd, who hit 24 home runs in 2013, is one of the less expensive sources of right-handed power, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

The Mesa Solar Sox and Surprise Saguaros will play in the Arizona Fall League Championship game on Saturday, beginning at 3 p.m. ET and airing on MLB Network.

For those of you that weren’t planning on watching the game, you may want to reconsider; the two teams’ rosters are absolutely stacked with top-ranked prospects.

The Hot Stove League is in full swing and the rumors are swirling at a rapid pace. At this rate, the Cardinals will have about 10 shortstops to fill their void before the week is out.

Here is a breakdown of some of those rumors and the pros and cons with each rumored player as they pertains to the Cardinals' needs.