Opinion

The Cincinnati Reds knew that they may only get one season of free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo when they traded for him last December.

The acquisition also enabled the organization to take a more conservative approach in its development of prospect Billy Hamilton. 

The Hot Stove League is in full swing and the rumors are swirling at a rapid pace. At this rate, the Cardinals will have about 10 shortstops to fill their void before the week is out.

Here is a breakdown of some of those rumors and the pros and cons with each rumored player as they pertains to the Cardinals' needs.

A year ago, Ervin Santana was a reclamation project who was basically up for grabs. Taking him on meant fixing a pitcher who had allowed 39 homers while pitching to a 5.16 ERA in 2012.

Because funny things have a way of happening in baseball, Santana now finds himself looking for a $100 million contract.

There hasn't been much action early on in the 2013 offseason by any team, and the Cincinnati Reds aren't likely to make much noise the rest of the winter. With most of the roster set, general manager Walt Jocketty will work on adding some finishing touches.

The results are in and Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona has been named the AL Manager of the Year:

Francona beat out Boston skipper John Farrell by 16 points, with Oakland's Bob Melvin coming in third. Here's a look at the full results:

After guiding the Pittsburgh Pirates to the postseason for the first time since 1992, Clint Hurdle was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday night by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Of the 30 ballots completed, Hurdle was awarded first-place votes by 25 of the baseball scribes covering the sport around the country.

One reason that prospects throughout baseball command so much attention from fans and analysts is because of their importance to the offseason trade machine. 

In some ways, prospects are even more exciting to see included in trades because they possess an unknown quantity. If a six-year veteran gets traded, while it can be fun for fans, it doesn't have the same feel because you know what that player is. 

We tend to think of Major League Baseball as a league that has no equal. It's practically the Mt. Olympus of the baseball world: a place where only the elites gather.

...Right?

Well, with star Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka set to make the jump from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB, now's a time when a good many are pondering that one question: 

Just how good is Japan's professional baseball league?

Welcome to Major League Baseball's crazy season. With the league's general managers and other front-office personnel descending upon the unsuspecting folks in Orlando, MLB's hot-stove movement is just getting ready to heat up as the weather cools down.

In an offseason that already features a number of quality free agents, MLB teams could also improve their rosters by trading for elite young stars.

Due to salary restrictions, lack of a fit on the current club or simply high demand from around the league, a few talented players are on the trading block this offseason. Although it will take a big offer for any of them to move, the future production could make any deal worth it.