MLB

In only about three years, Theo Epstein has built the Chicago Cubs farm system into one of the game’s best.  Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler are four of the most exciting young prospects in the league, and 28-year-old right-hander Jake Arrieta emerged on the scene as a potential ace with a sterling year in 2014.

Coming off a 2014 season that was disappointing for both the Cincinnati Reds and Jay Bruce, it's being reported the club might be dangling the two-time All-Star outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

In many ways, for many reasons, the New York Yankees trading for Troy Tulowitzki makes sense. After all, they're the major-market, deep-pocketed, All-Star-obtaining Yankees, and in 2015, they'll be embarking on their first season sans shortstop, captain and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

Add Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang to the list of international free agents hoping to make the jump to the major leagues in 2015.

There's an long-standing theory in sports—baseball included—that bad contracts are immovable objects, destined to bury the team holding them until they finally run their course.

Yet year after year, we see holes blown in that argument.

Whether it's a player's history of success, a shortage of available options at a particular position or a combination of both, players with bad contracts are not always assets without value.

Free agency isn’t just about which teams land the top players on the market. It’s also an opportunity for teams to find value where others don’t.

Since Evan Gattis is an American League player trapped in a National League uniform, we may never know how good he can be as long as he remains the property of the Atlanta Braves.

But if the Braves were to trade Gattis to an American League team, on the other hand...

When I discussed the players the Los Angeles Dodgers had sent to the Arizona Fall League, I mentioned that many of the top players were position players. The pattern held; over the course of the month, the hitters far outperformed the pitchers. This is not surprising given the talent disparity, but it's noteworthy.

The New York Mets started the offseason with an unexpected bang, inking veteran Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million pact. Since then, they've gone mostly quiet.

That has to change if New York is truly shifting into win-now mode, as assistant general manager John Ricco suggested after the Cuddyer signing.