MLB

Is anything going to stop the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers from signing Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka? And if they do land the coveted right-hander, is anything going to stop the Dodgers—period?

It might be a likely assumption that the Boston Red Sox are set with the team they hope to carry into spring training in 2014.

The Red Sox have seen a number of changes from the roster that won them the World Series the year prior—the most notable being the losses of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia via free agency.

Marlon Byrd, Bartolo Colon, Scott Feldman, Francisco Liriano, Mike Napoli, Hyun-jin Ryu and Koji Uehara all signed free-agent deals last offseason. All seven made the general manager who signed them look like a genius because their performances far exceeded their contracts.

Which free-agent signees from this offseason will be part of the "Biggest Bargains" group for 2014? Here are my top seven picks. 

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One year ago today, the San Francisco Giants used their offseason to re-sign existing players while making few moves to sign any new faces. 

After signing outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran this offseason, it was clear that the New York Yankees needed to make additional moves in order to make room.

In professional sports, smart, forward-thinking organizations have the ability to project ahead, anticipate the future, yet still focus on the present. For Major League Baseball general managers, deciding on which arbitration-eligible players to extend before free agency arrives is a yearly right of passage. 

The Baseball Writers' Association of America thought it was fixing a problem.

Instead, with one swift, sweeping act of judgement it revealed its true nature—the BBWAA, at its core, is nothing more than a frightened dictator.

By releasing a statement that Dan Le Batard would be banned for giving his vote to Deadspin, the BBWAA flaunted its power to show the baseball world that its word is final, to cast fear into the eyes of anyone who even thinks of rebelling against it.

The New York Yankees have had a busy offseason to date, but the effectiveness of their offseason exploits will ultimately be defined by the moves general manager Brian Cashman makes in the weeks leading up to spring training.

Excluding pre-arbitration players like Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart, the Cincinnati Reds have 18 players who are either signed to big league contracts or have been assigned a salary through arbitration.

As much as fans may like to, you can't fault a player for signing a contract he's offered. Professional athletes have a limited window to earn their money, and it's to their benefit to get as much of as they possibly can.

Wilmer Flores has been a top position player prospect for the New York Mets since he signed as an international free agent in 2007. Now that he’s made his MLB debut six years later, will he have a role with the Mets in the big leagues for 2014?