MLB

Joc Pederson emerged from the woodwork in 2014 to become a relatively household name among Los Angeles Dodger fans. The year before, Yasiel Puig filled that role.

With about a month left to go in the MLB regular season, I took a crack at predicting the Cubs' 2015 Opening Day roster. While a lot remains unchanged, there are a lot of new players who have been added to the mix this offseason. 

With spring training just around the corner and the new year being rung in, it feels like the MLB offseason is over. However, for the Chicago Cubs, like most other teams in the league, there is still some work to be done. Even though the bulk of Chicago's offseason moves have likely already been made, it will still look to improve its 2015 roster.

Welcome to 2015, comrades. Just as all of us are setting goals to better ourselves in the new year, the Boston Red Sox organization should be no different. Not all resolutions are new, as some of our goals include staying the course with past accomplishments. For example, if you quit smoking in 2014, then striving to continue to stay away from cigarettes this year is a fine thing to aim for. 

With that in mind, here are four New Year's resolutions the Red Sox should attempt to maintain through 2015.

You can bet, like most people, the players on the Oakland A's have New Year's resolutions for 2015.

During the week of Christmas, I asked A's fans what would be on their wish list. This week I'll keep the holiday spirit alive and venture a guess as to what many of the A's starters' New Year's resolutions might be, specifically pertaining to the 2015 baseball season.

Of course there are a few disclaimers to mention.

As general managers around baseball wake up on New Year's Day, they'd like to believe that they do so with a strong roster, one without any major holes or weaknesses.

Nobody actually believes that, of course, for it's simply not true.

There's always an area (or three) that can be improved upon. For some clubs, it's the lineup or bench. For others, its the starting rotation and bullpen—or maybe the defense behind that pitching staff—that needs to be addressed.

The new year is officially here, but we are still a couple months away from the start of the 2015 MLB season. If the offseason to this point is any indication, there will be plenty more action between now and that magical day when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Decisions from Max Scherzer and James Shields will undoubtedly shake things up, but for now, let's take a look at how all 30 teams stand at the beginning of 2015.

Thank goodness three new members were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. If they hadn't been, the 2015 ballot would have featured as much Cooperstown-worthy talent as Cooperstown itself.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. But this isn't: Even after last year's selections, the 2015 ballot might be as loaded as the 2014 ballot.

The dropping of the crystal ball signaled the start of 2015, officially designating the disastrous season of 2014 as last year's news.

When we discuss the Cincinnati Reds from this juncture, we discuss a new product. The Reds lack the potent starting rotation they once had, but they do offer some offensive prowess that many fans have longed for.