MLB

With the World Series now over, MLB free agency can officially begin. The Los Angeles Dodgers are sure to be players in the market as they search for ways to improve their roster after a second consecutive disappointing playoff exit.

When looking around the diamond, positions of concern for the Dodgers include shortstop, catcher, the back end of the starting rotation and the bullpen.

The Toronto Blue Jays have had internal discussions about signing free-agent catcher Russell Martin, per Jeff Blair of Sportsnet.ca.

If there were any lingering doubt that defense wins championships, it died in the gloves of the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants this October.

Much was made of the two teams' defensive prowess—particularly Kansas City's—entering the Fall Classic, and they didn't disappoint. From the speedy, sliding heroics of the Royals outfield to Giants second baseman Joe Panik's incredible Game 7 double play, the 2014 World Series featured a glittering array of web gems. 

From Pablo Sandoval to Jon Lester, it's officially time for MLB free agents to start cashing in.

Teams from all around the league now have the chance to sift through the market to find that big bat or front-line arm. What follows are projections for which impact player each MLB team will sign this winter.

The winners for the 23rd annual MLB Players Choice Awards were announced Monday night.

Players voted through a secret ballot for a variety of accolades, mostly to recognize the extraordinary individual performers in both leagues from the 2014 season. 

As can be seen in the table below, Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw cleaned up the competition.

The Chicago Cubs got their man and their manager.

Alex Rodriguez's history with performance-enhancing drugs is well known. But on Monday, the lengths he allegedly went to in order to cover up his PED use came to light.   

With one mantra during his introductory press conference on Monday as the new manager of the Chicago Cubs, Joe Maddon aptly summed up why he's the perfect man to lead a talented young team to prominence.    

"Don't ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure," Maddon said on MLB Network. "That's on the top of my lineup card every night."       

The Kansas City Royals are coming off of their most successful season in almost 30 years. Now, with an American League Championship in hand, the team faces a new set of challenges. Possibly the largest challenge of all is sustainability.

Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez has accepted the mutual option on his contract and will remain with the franchise for the 2015 MLB season.     

The Brewers’ official Twitter account announced the news Monday: