Opinion

With so many of the league's top free agents signed to big contracts, MLB teams still looking to make an offseason splash will likely have to do so via trade.

The 2014 winter meetings have come and gone, and for the Baltimore Orioles, no transactions occurred that could have improved the team aside from a few Rule 5 draft selections.

With pitching and defense in charge, the Major League Baseball landscape has become no country for good hitters. The ones that do exist are few and far between, making it difficult for clubs to find them.

As this offseason is showing, that goes double for National League clubs. Maybe even triple. And for that, you can thank and/or curse the designated hitter.

Major League Baseball's 2014-15 offseason is only a month-and-a-half over, and big-name free-agent right-handers Max Scherzer and James Shields still remain unsigned. But what the hey? Let's take a leap ahead and look at next offseason right now, based on what this one has taught us so far.

Next Year's Russell Martin

With Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings now in the rear-view mirror, what's next for the Boston Red Sox?

The Red Sox recently added several pieces to their starting rotation, but they lack an ace to carry them. Boston continues to have an overabundance of outfielders as well, not to mention a few other areas that could use some tinkering. Here is a look at what the Red Sox need to do over the remainder of the offseason.

Acquire a No. 1 Starter? 

This is not a fresh conversation. It is had almost yearly around this time on the calendar.

It is the tale of super agent Scott Boras and some client and their reading of the free-agent market. Is the duo overestimating the player's worth? Will the market eventually cave and pay the asking price? How late in the offseason might we find out?

It didn't take long for the Los Angeles Dodgers' new front office to leave its mark on the city and franchise this offseason.

The Oakland A's went into the winter meetings looking like they might contend again in 2015. They came out of the meetings three All-Stars lighter.

Now what?

Andrew Friedman inherited a pretty good starting rotation when he agreed to run the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was weak at the back end, sure, but having Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu at the top more than made up for that.

But then again, why settle for "pretty good" when you can aim for "great?"

It has been two years since the New York Yankees made the postseason, so naturally there were going to be some changes and transactions this winter.

So far we have seen the Yankees take a slow and careful approach.