MLB

The Pittsburgh Pirates reunited with a familiar friend Friday. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that they signed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a one-year deal.  

After struggling to find consistency with their pitching staff, the Arizona Diamondbacks moved to remedy the problem on Friday night. Jeremy Hellickson was traded to the Diamondbacks for minor league outfielder Justin Williams and infielder Andrew Velazquez, who will be headed the other way:

The Diamondbacks provide full details on the trade. 

Even though spring training is when you start to see what a team is capable of doing in the regular season, the offseason is when you get a real sense of where all 30 Major League Baseball teams view themselves heading into the next year. 

While many rumors will be floated around, some of which will never happen, it's important to keep track of them because you can learn how a front office is thinking.

Anthony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis that led to a scandal involving several Major League Baseball players being suspended, reportedly told federal investigators that agent Scott Boras tried to alter medical records to prevent former All-Star Manny Ramirez from being suspended. 

Continue for updates.

Friday, Nov. 14

Boras Denies Bosch Allegations

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan has Scott Boras' response to Bosch's claims:

Despite frequent insistence to the contrary, free-agent signings are almost always about the money. That's what it's all about, you know.

But not for A.J. Burnett. On Friday, he decided to be a very rare exception to the rule. And for good reasons, to boot.

San Francisco Giants pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball due to a failed drug test. 

According to Alex Pavlovic of The San Jose Mercury News, Mejia tested positive for a banned stimulant:

Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett enjoyed two of his best seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he will look to recapture that magic in 2015.

The Pirates announced the deal via Twitter:

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com noted the money involved:

Linked to major free agents this offseason like Jon Lester and Russell Martin, the Chicago Cubs are expected to make a big splash this winter in one way or another. Signing free agents is surely a way to improve the team quickly, but teams can also do that via trade.

For a team with $182.5 million already committed to the 2015 roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers actually have a surprising amount of flexibility. They have a couple veteran outfielders they need to get rid of, a massive budget and a farm system that is finally bearing fruit.

Whether or not the new front office will want to make a massive deal is up in the air, but it certainly has the resources to do so.

Before we get into the hustle and bustle that is the MLB offseason, let's take a look at the landscape of Major League Baseball before the dominoes begin to fall.

Offseason power rankings are more about where each team has been, rather than where it may be headed. As you would expect, the playoff teams will comprise the top of the list. The other 20 organizations are ranked by the likelihood that they'll make it back to October.