Opinion

The Kansas City Royals enter the offseason with a few needs, and upgrading right field or second base ranks high on their list.

A reunion with Carlos Beltran, whom the team drafted in 1995, would certainly answer one of those needs.  A trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Brandon Phillips would address the other.  It appears that both of those options have been discussed.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is your value item of the 2013 free-agent catcher market.

Any team prone to clipping coupons or value hunting would do well to take a gander at the Red Sox backstop.

MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar breaks down one of the premier catchers on the open market at the moment, and at 28, he is clearly one of the rare players at the position with looming upside.

A year after being major players on the trade market, the Toronto Blue Jays are at it again, except from the other side of the aisle.

According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Blue Jays are getting inquiries about star outfielder Jose Bautista:

The starting rotation of the Detroit Tigers is one of the best in baseball. It had the most wins (76), the lowest ERA (3.44) and the least homers allowed in the American League last season while leading the majors in innings pitched and strikeouts.

The Cardinals made it known that Trevor Rosenthal will remain their closer in 2014.

After taking over for the fatigued and broken down Edward Mujica, Rosenthal, 23, was phenomenal in the second half of the 2013 season and the postseason.

The hard-throwing Rosenthal was unhittable. He routinely made opposing hitters look foolish as they whiffed at his 98-plus mph heat.

On Monday, the Braves shocked the baseball world with the announcement of plans to build a new stadium in the suburbs of Cobb County, Georgia, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If it feels like Turner Field just opened yesterday, your sense of time isn't that far off from reality.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers faced off in a classic World Series in 2011, but now they can come together for their mutual benefit. The Cards’ pursuit of a shortstop and the Rangers’ apparent willingness to deal from a middle-infield surplus have emerged as prominent story lines early in this offseason.

Here's a deal I think works for both sides:

Starting pitching is the most precious commodity in Major League Baseball. Finding consistent dominance on the mound is something all 30 teams want but so few are able to get because there aren't that many great arms available. 

Among the field of candidates for the 2013 Cy Young awards listed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, to be handed out Wednesday, there are two standouts who should walk away with hardware. 

MLB free agency is about a week old now and there still hasn't been much action. But expect that to heat up with 13 players declining their respective qualifying offers on Tuesday, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, cementing the dynamics of the offseason market.

With free agency looming, and trade rumors swirling, the Indians look poised to make a big splash in the 2013-14 offseason.

Cleveland's salary commitments total a measly $48.28 million for the 2014 season, so the team figures to play heavily in the free-agency market. Additionally, given the team's depth at middle infield, and in the outfield, the Tribe could also be a major player on various trading blocks.