MLB

Coming off an unexpected last-place finish in 2014, the Boston Red Sox look to be a major player in free agency this offseason.  Big names like Jon Lester, James Shields and Pablo Sandoval are being widely discussed as players Boston may go after.

On the other hand, which available free agents should the Red Sox stay away from?

There are all sorts of numbers for general managers to crunch as they sift through the MLB free-agent market.

Sometimes, that crunching leads to a designated hitter who goes yard nearly as frequently as he punches out. Other times, it leads to a high-priced third baseman who might not be able to hit left-handed pitching. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a new front office, and new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is undoubtedly familiar with the Dodgers farm system. He will be properly unwilling to trade the elite prospects.

After a regular season to remember, Clayton Kershaw had a postseason to forget. The question now: When it comes to individual awards, should one impact the other?

As the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) prepares to hand out its shiny trophies, culminating with the league MVPs on Nov. 13, the answer for the moment is "no."

Both Max Scherzer and Jon Lester will command big-money contracts this upcoming offseason. 

But because this is the offseason, it's only natural to compare the two most coveted free agents in the 2015 class.

 Major League Baseball's annual tradition of honoring the best offensive players at each position has come again, and today the winners of the 2014 Silver Slugger Awards were announced. 

Unlike the other major position player awards that take into account defensive performance, the Silver Slugger Awards are all about what happens in the batter's box and on the bases. Everything from batting average and home runs to stolen bases counts for this list. 

The offseason has only just begun, and already it's been a very tumultuous one for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Indeed, new president of baseball operations Matt Silverman—who took over the job in October after Andrew Friedman, his longtime predecessor, left for the Los Angeles Dodgers—has his work cut out for him.

Chicago White Sox All-Star shortstop Alexei Ramirez is reportedly at the center of trade inquiries from at least a few prominent MLB clubs.    

This revelation comes from CBSChicago.com's Bruce Levine, who offered more details on the high demand regarding the 33-year-old veteran:

San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera is facing charges of resisting arrest, according to The Associated Press, via Fox Sports.     

The Tampa Bay Rays are about to embark on a new era. After Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the organization and signed with the Chicago Cubs, the team was left with a major void at the manager position. 

Now, the Rays have announced their list of potential replacements via Twitter: