Opinion

The Seattle Mariners have already made plenty of noise this winter, and if early signs are any indication, they'll continue to be busy until spring training.

The moves have not only been unexpected, but monumental as well and heavily focused on hitting. A new skipper is at the helm and a new superstar in town. 

The following moves are the biggest ones made by the Mariners so far, with their grades reflecting the quality of player/coach and value of their contracts.

Many have pegged the New York Yankees' prolific activity this offseason as a reaction to their poor 2013 showing. This past season saw an impotent Yankees offense and a championship for the rival Boston Red Sox—both motivating factors for the team's acquisition of Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran.

The baseball world is still awaiting word from Japan on whether star right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will be made available for MLB free agency after the league and Nippon Professional Baseball recently agreed to a new posting system.

Value is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to the Rule 5 draft, with each team hoping to find a potential hidden gem amongst a seemingly endless list of eligible players.

Major League Baseball's annual winter meetings have come and gone with very little movement from the top players or teams, though that doesn't mean the event was a waste of time. 

In fact, scouring the rumors and speculation that came from Orlando, you get the sense that several huge dominoes are getting ready to fall, and that will open up the field for teams to know what they are working against. 

David Ortiz would like an extension on his contract, and the sooner the better.

But for various reasons having to do with history and upon-closer-inspection statistics, it would be better if the Boston Red Sox waited.

That sound you didn't hear following the four-day wheeling and dealing fest known as the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings is what made the Los Angles Angels so intriguing.

It was the cricket’s chirp, disguised as a collective thumbs up, instead of the disapproving roar.

The MLB winter meetings came and went without any big blockbuster signings or trades, but that didn't put a stop to the baseball rumor mill, which is always churning out new rumblings at this time of year.

As we are smack dab in the middle of baseball's free-agent season.  Now is a time full of hope for fans of every MLB team.  It is a period where visions of glory and supreme optimism run rampant and speculation as to who will be standing in the end invade the mind.

Even though baseball isn't being played, the passion for it remains in the heart, and as the snow covers the ground, the sport stays relevant and "fun."

With that in mind, let's take a stab at predicting what the next three years will bring for the Bronx Bombers.

For a team looking to reduce payroll commitments in 2014, the New York Yankees are not spending the offseason in the bargain-hunting section of the free-agent market. 

At this rate, it's hard to imagine the 2014 Yankees taking the field with a total payroll of less than $200 million.