Kuzul

The 2014 Major League Baseball season has been over for two months, but San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is still reaping the rewards for his postseason heroics. On Tuesday, he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.     

Per a release from Janie McCauley of The Associated Press, Bumgarner captured the honor ahead of two MLB players and the world’s best golfer:

Bumgarner finished first in a vote by U.S. editors and news directors. He beat out Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw—who won the National League Cy Young and MVP but lost to Bumgarner’s Giants in the playoffs. Retiring New York Yankees star Derek Jeter and golfer Rory McIlroy tied for third place.

Even though baseball is a team sport, Bumgarner was the single biggest difference-maker in the playoffs. The 25-year-old appeared in seven games, including a five-inning relief stint in Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals on just two days of rest, throwing 52.2 innings with 45 strikeouts and six earned runs allowed, via Baseball-Reference.com. 

Bumgarner was also named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year earlier this month. He told SI‘s Tom Verducci in a profile that a strong bout of homesickness after he was drafted in 2007 almost forced him out of baseball:

I was out of high school and had just turned 18 years old. I had been away from home a couple of times, but never more than a couple of days at a time, and I always had someone with me—family or friends, someone. I was out there by myself. I had no idea what to expect. Honestly, I contemplated just going home and choosing not to have this lifestyle because it was so different from what I was used to.

Even though Kansas City fans may not agree based on what happened in the World Series, there’s little doubt that Bumgarner made the right choice. All of these accolades, in addition to what happened on the field, show just how revered the young left-hander’s 2014 season was.  

Now, the only question is what Bumgarner does for an encore. Considering how much better he seems to be getting, there may not be a ceiling for him in 2015. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Ben Zobrist bidding got a lot hotter Tuesday, and finding teams not interested in trading for the versatile veteran is a lot easier than determining who wants him. 

As first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and confirmed by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Tampa Bay Rays inked second baseman/shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year deal on Tuesday. The signing is viewed as a way for the Rays to replace Zobrist since it seems more a matter of when rather than if the team will move him.

The Rays will obviously not be selling Zobrist at his highest value, but one thing is certain: His stock will not get any higher than it is now.

Zobrist will turn 34 in May and can become a free agent after next season, so it’s almost stunning the Rays didn’t trade him a couple years ago. Still, the interest in him on the trade market is ridiculously high because he is about as productive a position player as there is.

it would’ve been easier to list the teams that aren’t a fit for Ben Zobrist, but I guess I like taking the long route sometimes

— Matt Snyder (@MattSnyderCBS) December 30, 2014

“Trades are risky by nature,” Rays general manager Matt Silverman told Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune nearly two weeks ago. “The easiest thing to do is stand pat, and that can be just as risky if not more so. We’re looking to be proactive and take steps to improve our club, and that’s what we’ve been doing all offseason.”

Actually, what the Rays have been doing is slicing payroll and preparing for the future, which even included trading a 24-year-old, controllable Wil Myers. Cabrera’s signing, while doing nothing to make the roster younger (he is 29), is a stopgap in preparation for a Zobrist trade. Zobrist would be the first player in franchise history to start a 10th consecutive season with the Rays if he made it to Opening Day.

It is true Zobrist‘s name has not been thrown about the way Matt Kemp’s was or the way Cole Hamels’ has, but teams have been calling the Rays about Zobrist since early November. Now that clubs know it’s a virtual lock that the Rays will move him—it is assumed Cabrera will play second base, the spot Zobrist mostly occupied over the last two seasons—he will become the most sought-after player on the trade market in the short term.

#Rays could keep Zobrist, Y. Escobar and A. Cabrera, sitting Escobar against tough RHPs, playing Zobrist more in OF. But all that unlikely.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 30, 2014

Zobrist is probably the most underrated, undervalued player in baseball. He will make $7.5 million next season, and since 2011, he has a 23.2 WAR by FanGraphs‘ calculations. That is the fourth-highest total in the American League behind Mike Trout (29.1), Miguel Cabrera (26.5) and Robinson Cano (24.3). It’s incredible to think that is the kind of company Zobrist keeps relative to his stature.

Zobrist can also play every position on the diamond except the battery, and he still has a positive defensive WAR and Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) aggregate. His best defensive position by the DRS metric in 2014 was left field, and that is why the San Francisco Giants seem like quite the logical landing spot.

Attn: Giants RT@msimonespn: Only 2 players have been worth 4.5 @baseball_ref WAR in each of the last 6 seasons: Miguel Cabrera & Ben Zobrist

— JB Long (@JB_Long) December 30, 2014

The Giants lost their primary left fielder when Mike Morse signed with the Miami Marlins, and they clearly are not comfortable with Gregor Blanco platooning with someone else. The Giants would prefer an everyday left fielder, and Zobrist fits that model.

Not only that, but there are still a lot of questions about what incumbent second baseman Joe Panik can do over a season of 600 plate appearances. He hit .305/.343/.368 in 2014, but that came in just 287 plate appearances, and he was still just a 104 On-Base Plus Slugging Plus (OPS+) player. Zobrist would not only cover the Giants in left field, he can also be about as good an insurance policy at second base as there is available.

Zobrist could also spell new third baseman Casey McGehee from time to time although that can be said about almost every position when it comes to Zobrist.

In a Giants offseason filled with plenty of courting but not payoff, Zobrist could be the deal to ease the disappointment.

However, there are a lot of sharks in Zobrist‘s waters. The Washington Nationals, who let Cabrera walk, need a second baseman. The Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs could use outfield help. The New York Yankees could use middle infield help, as could the Toronto Blue Jays.

The winning bid will have to be hefty. The Rays value Zobrist greatly—there’s a reason they’ve held onto him for so long—and they could probably live with starting the season with him in uniform with the expectation of making him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. Or they could even wait until the July non-waiver trade deadline to move him out.

Plus, the Los Angeles Angels set the price for a contract-year second baseman when they dealt Howie Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers for highly rated pitching prospect Andrew Heaney.

The Rays had little reason to sign Cabrera unless they were inclined to trade Zobrist. Again, this is more than likely a matter of when than if, and it will come down to which buying team most values the most undervalued player in the majors.

Advanced statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous three seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News and four years before that as the Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Tampa Bay Rays may not be done making changes to their roster this offseason. This time, the focus of trade discussions appears to be super-utility player Ben Zobrist.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Rays will at least listen to potential offers for Zobrist and Yunel Escobar:

This news comes after Rosenthal reported the Rays struck a deal with free-agent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on Tuesday and also potential fallback options for the team:

Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune noted on Twitter that Cabrera’s presence could have an impact on where the Rays stand with Zobrist:

Mark Zuckerman of Comcast SportsNet Washington noted that the Nationals, who lost Cabrera to the Rays, could be a potential landing spot:

Joel Sherman of The New York Post noted that the Yankees could have an interest, though there’s been some reluctance by Tampa Bay to trade within its own division and Washington may have more immediate interest to make a deal happen:

The Rays are clearly going through a period where they want to shed payroll and restock their farm system. Trading David Price last summer was the first step in the process, but Zobrist might be a more valuable asset. 

Entering the final year of his contract, Zobrist is set to make $7.5 million with a career slash line of .264/.354/.429. He’s one of the most versatile players in the sport, able to play every infield position and both outfield corners. 

If the Rays don’t believe contending is an option in 2015, putting Zobrist on the market and waiting for the best offer makes the most sense. There are plenty of teams that can use a player with his unique skill set, so there should be no shortage of suitors. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One of the best under-the-radar free agents of the offseason is officially off the market, as infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has agreed to a contract.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the 29-year-old native of Venezuela has inked a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed the deal and provided some details on the length:

Cabrera is a two-time All-Star who garnered plenty of interest in free agency due both to his pop and his positional versatility.

Although he has played the bulk of his games at shortstop, he is also a capable second baseman. In fact, after the Washington Nationals acquired Cabrera in a trade with the Cleveland Indians last season, he served as their full-time starter at second.

Since Cabrera held his own at second base, most of the teams that kicked the tires on him in free agency did so with the thought that he would man that position in 2015 and beyond, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Cabrera also has one career appearance at third base. With that in mind, San Francisco Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans revealed that the team’s potential plan to sign him and play him at third wasn’t something Cabrera was overly receptive to, according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News:

While Cabrera’s ability to play around the diamond is a definite perk, his true value is at the plate. He won a Silver Slugger Award in 2011 by hitting .273 with 25 home runs and 92 RBI. His production has slipped since then, but he provides some power from positions that aren’t always conducive to it.

Cabrera’s numbers over the past two campaigns are nearly identical, as he hit just over .240 with 14 home runs in each season. Although he would probably like to get his batting average closer to his career mark of .268, the rest of his batting statistics are respectable.

Add in the fact that Cabrera is a switch-hitter capable of hitting essentially anywhere in the order, and it becomes clear why the Rays signed him. 

After the 2014 season, Cabrera expressed interest in staying with the Nationals, but he added that being on a winning team was his most important value, per James Wagner of The Washington Post:

I would love to stay here. A lot of good guys. A good team. I would love to stay here. But it’s not my decision. … I don’t know. It depends. A team like this team, a winning team, I would love to play second and love to stay here. I just want to win. I’ve got eight seasons already. I want to be in the World Series one day.

It remains to be seen if Cabrera will reach his ultimate goal of playing in the World Series, but he should have plenty of good years ahead of him.

He has also shown that he is an excellent complementary player who can contribute heavily to a winning cause, so it won’t be surprising if Cabrera ultimately turns out to be one of the offseason’s biggest steals.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With 2015 set to begin, the Arizona Diamondbacks have issues to address that ailed them throughout this past season. 

The D-Backs 2014 season ended 64-98—the worst record in the MLB.

However, several injuries could be to blame for such a poor year—Paul Goldschmidt, Patrick Corbin, A.J. Pollock and Mark Trumbo, to name a few.

While these players should return in 2015, it is the offseason moves that should have fans excited. The most notable acquisition was Cuban power hitter Yasmany Tomas. Yet the D-Backs are still far from competing in the tough NL West Division.

Here are five New Year’s resolutions for Arizona in 2015.

Begin Slideshow

With less than two months until teams report to spring training, it’s crunch time for MLB general managers looking to put the finishing touches on their offseason masterpieces.

Several teams are probably already done making major moves. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have been extraordinarily busy, and their roster overhauls will be on display as soon as camp gets underway.

Other teams have been strangely quiet thus far, so it’ll be interesting to see if they make moves now that other teams are out of the running for the remaining available players.

Three of the top players left on the free-agent and trade markets have made headlines recently. Get up to speed on their statuses below.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Widely considered the top bat available in free agency as things stand today, Asdrubal Cabrera has no shortage of suitors. Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi lists four potential destinations for the middle infielder, though there are presumably others in the hunt as well:

Of the teams Morosi lists, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be the best fit. After dealing Brett Lawrie this offseason, the team lacks quality depth at second base. Ryan Goins, Maicer Izturis and Steve Tolleson are among those on the roster who could see time there, but adding Cabrera would effectively make them expendable.

Scott Ferguson of TSN 1050 writes that Cabrera may not be the future of the position, but he’s worth bringing in now: “Ryan Goins may one day learn to hit, and John Berti who’s been playing in the Arizona Fall League may be an option down the road, but right now, the Jays need a veteran like Asdrubal Cabrera.”

Adding Cabrera would also be an insurance policy for Jose Reyes at short should he get injured yet again. Cabrera could simply slide over to his right and allow one of the aforementioned players to see time at second.

This is an easy-to-see upgrade for Toronto. Cabrera hit .241/.307/.387 split between the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals in 2014. That’s now two consecutive subpar seasons from the 29-year-old, but there’s no reason why the Blue Jays can’t offer him a one-year deal and see if he can re-establish himself north of the border.

There wouldn’t be all that much pressure on Cabrera to produce offensively in a lineup packed with the likes of Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson, so this is an ideal scenario for all parties involved.

Marlon Byrd

Jimmy Rollins and Antonio Bastardo have already fallen victim to the rebuild that the Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of, and the likes of Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard are on the chopping block as well.

Marlon Byrd, a surprisingly valuable player (for the most part) since 2009, is also a candidate for relocation. Morosi tweeted that he was actually almost shipped off to Cincinnati:

It’s unknown what the Phillies would have received in return, though moving Byrd is a positive by itself. He’s on borrowed time, enjoying arguably the best two seasons of his career (2013 and 2014) in his mid-30s. Moving him now would prevent the Phillies from having to deal with him when his value potentially lowers during the season.

This is a head-scratcher for the Reds. The outfield is thin, with Skip Schumaker currently in line for regular playing time in left field, but Cincy is in somewhat of a rebuild itself.

The Reds have dealt Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, floated around the idea of trading Jay Bruce and both Aroldis Chapman and Johnny Cueto’s names have even popped up in rumors. 

Adding Byrd would not help the future of the team. The Reds would have to trade a prospect or two to get him, yet those prospects should remain in the team’s system as part of the plan a few years from now.

Also, Byrd is owed $8 million next season. The Reds need to cut payroll, writes Kevin Goheen of Fox Sports Ohio, so adding salary makes zero sense.

Byrd could very well be dealt this offseason, but it shouldn’t be to the Reds.

Max Scherzer

The pitching market is still tied to Max Scherzer, as the right-handed ace has yet to ink a new contract. That’s probably because he’s still asking for $200 million (h/t D.J. Short of Hardball Talk), a number no pitcher other than Clayton Kershaw has ever earned.

One team accustomed to spending large sums of money on pitchers is the New York Yankees. While they have been quiet in their pursuit (or non-pursuit) of Scherzer, Morosi believes that they’ll ultimately end up with the 30-year-old.

“So if your question today is whether I believe the Yankees are pursuing Scherzer, the answer is an emphatic yes,” Morosi writes. “The New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium could have been renamed the ‘We Are Not Signing Max Scherzer Bowl,’ and I wouldn’t have been convinced.”

Morosi cites the team’s muffled pursuit of Mark Teixeira when he was a free agent prior to the 2009 season. Most believed the Yankees to be out on Teixeira until he surprised everyone and inked a lengthy, lucrative deal with the organization.

But why is this parallel relevant? Because both players had Scott Boras‘ name attached to them during free agency.

Boras is the best agent in the business when it comes to pinching every dollar out of prospective teams for his clients. The Yankees are one of the best at throwing money around, making Boras‘ eyes turn into dollar signs when his clients are interested in joining the Bombers.

It’s widely known that Boras always gives the Yankees a call. Morosi recalled a quote from John Henry in his report: “A half-dozen years later, it’s worth remembering what Red Sox owner John Henry told The Associated Press after Teixeira signed with his archrival: ‘There was no mention of the Yankees, but we felt all along that they were going to get the last call. That’s what you deal with in working with Scott.'”

A similar situation could very well happen with Scherzer.

The Yankees have yet to address their injury-prone starting rotation outside of young Nate Eovaldi, and you can rest assured that general manager Brian Cashman won’t stand pat. Something will happen.

How major that something will be is still undetermined.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

General managers around MLB have reached the point where the available free agents are largely unimpressive, forcing them to focus on trades as a means to improve their rosters.

Sure, Max Scherzer and James Shields are still on the open market, but other than them, Nori Aoki is largely all that’s left in the way of impact players. Nothing against either of them, of course, but the fact of the matter is that swinging a trade is an attractive alternative for many clubs.

Here are three MLB scenarios based on actual need and published rumors from the last week. 

The following proposals are nothing more than speculation. The point here is to build a trade based on someone else’s written or spoken word.

They are balanced deals that are fair for each team, taking into consideration each franchise’s strengths and weaknesses. They are also independent of one another. Each trade presented is a singular move and does not take into account any of the other proposals put forward.

Begin Slideshow

Take a look at the American League East right now, and you’ll see it has a fairly typical collection of star power. The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays have most of it after their winter shopping sprees, but the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles each have their share.

But then you might also notice that the AL East’s collective star power seems to be missing something. In turn, you might begin to wonder if the division is going to produce a legit World Series threat in 2015.

Getting to the point: Is it a problem that the AL East could be lacking in established aces in 2015?

This shortage is a relatively recent development. In Jon Lester, Masahiro Tanaka and David Price, the AL East had three of the AL’s top 10 pitchers at the All-Star break by FanGraphs WAR in 2014. Though fWAR wasn’t convinced, Mark Buehrle had the AL’s fifth-best ERA at 2.64.

But that was then. This is now.

Courtesy of a July trade with the Detroit Tigers, Price is no longer a Tampa Bay Ray. That makes Alex Cobb their best starter. He may have a 2.82 ERA since the start of 2013, but that’s over only 309.2 innings.

Likewise, Lester is no longer with the Boston Red Sox after first being traded to the Oakland A’s and then signing with the Chicago Cubs. Boston’s top starter is now Rick Porcello, who was less than ace material even in a career year in 2014.

In Toronto, Buehrle regressed to post a 4.64 ERA after the break, which his peripherals said was bound to happen. In him and R.A. Dickey, the Blue Jays have two guys atop their rotation who are more innings-eaters than aces.

In New York, the torn UCL in Tanaka‘s right elbow means his outlook for 2015 has less to do with his talent and more to do with his health. With CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda also standing out as health risks, the injury bug could well keep the Yankees from enjoying an ace in 2015.

This just leaves the Baltimore Orioles, who have become infamous for their lack of an ace starter. They got by on a bunch of middle and back-end guys in 2014, and they are bringing all of them back for 2015.

So based strictly on appearances, there could indeed be a shortage of established No. 1s in the AL East in 2015. And while that shouldn’t be too big of a problem in the regular season, conventional wisdom says it could make whoever climbs out of the AL East easy pickings in the postseason.

When we take it for granted that having a legit No. 1 starter can go a long way in October, we’re thinking of the anecdotal evidence. Heck, look at what Madison Bumgarner just did. Before him, there was Lester in 2013, Chris Carpenter in 2011, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum in 2010, Sabathia in 2009, Cole Hamels in 2008, Josh Beckett in 2007 and so on down the line.

Now, the apparent value of a No. 1 starter in October wouldn’t be that concerning if the AL’s other divisions were also lacking in aces. But the AL Central has Price, Corey Kluber, Chris Sale and Phil Hughes, and the AL West has Felix Hernandez, Yu Darvish and (eventually) Garrett Richards.

Names like these make the AL East look overmatched in the ace department now. And later, the anecdotal evidence says that could doom the division’s representative (or representatives) in October.

So then, Mr. John and/or Jane Q. AL East Fan. Are you all good and worried yet? Based on how scary things look, you should be.

But here’s the good news: There’s often a big difference between appearance and reality, and this is a case where the latter isn’t as dire as the former.

One reason not to worry about the AL East’s shortage of established aces is that not all aces need be established. Seemingly ordinary pitchers have been known to become aces, you know.

As Red Sox manager John Farrell told Ian Browne of MLB.com: “Every guy that evolved into a No. 1-type starting pitcher, they had opportunity, they had support around them and they performed their way into those roles.”

This is where there’s room for optimism. For though the AL East may have a shortage of established aces, it’s not short on potential aces.

Most notably, all Cobb needs to do to become Tampa Bay’s ace is handle a bigger workload. The Red Sox have the occasionally dominant Justin Masterson, who may be dominant again if he’s able to put his 2014 knee problems behind him. In Kevin Gausman, Nathan Eovaldi and Marcus Stroman, the Orioles, Yankees and Blue Jays each have one guy who at least has ace-level stuff.

But there’s an even bigger reason not to fret too much about the AL East’s shortage of established aces: When it comes to October, the anecdotal evidence for the value of a No. 1 starter is misleading.

Take it from Ben Lindbergh, who tackled the topic with Colin Wyers in 2012 at Baseball Prospectus and again with Russell Carleton at Grantland in 2014. The idea both times was to look for statistical support the notion that teams with No. 1s have an automatic edge in October, and both searches came up empty.

Here’s an excerpt from the Grantland article:

Russell examined the first three pitchers who started for each team in each series. He also looked at Game 1 starters only. No indicator of the quality of those starters (strikeout rate, walk rate, home run rate, ground ball rate, linear weights) proved to be a significant predictor of a team’s postseason success…

So what is a strong predictor of postseason success? It turns out the answer is regular-season records, meaning that, overall, “team quality does tend to win out.”

Yeah, I too was surprised to hear that. But once you remember how the 2014 Tigers and Washington Nationals and 2011 Philadelphia Phillies all failed to make it past the first round and how the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz Atlanta Braves only won one World Series, you realize there is something to the notion that great starting pitching alone doesn’t guarantee October glory.

So regarding the AL East’s potential to produce serious World Series contenders in 2015, the real question is if the division is going to produce any teams that are just plain good. And to this end, FanGraphs likes its chances:

The Orioles being out of the picture isn’t surprising, as they’ll be hard-pressed to overcome the losses of Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller. But even with them absent, the AL East is still projected to have four of the AL’s top eight teams in 2015.

Granted, only the Red Sox are projected to be elite. But the Blue Jays, Rays and Yankees project to at least be good enough for the wild-card hunt, and the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants just showed that being good enough for the wild-card hunt can mean being good enough for the World Series.

This is not to say we have to take the projections’ word for it. They hinge on players living up to expectations, and these expectations can be flimsy.

For example, FanGraphs‘ projections expect healthy and productive versions of Tanaka and Sabathia to lead the Yankees’ starting rotation. If they’re undone by health woes, the Yankees will be in trouble.

As for the Rays, FanGraphs projects them to finish seventh in position player WAR in 2015. They were 14th in position player WAR in 2014 and Wil Myers is gone now, so that’s a bit hard to believe.

But even if you move the Yankees and Rays from the “definite contenders” to the “maybe contenders” pile, it’s harder to do the same with the Red Sox and Blue Jays.

One thing both the Red Sox and Blue Jays should do in 2015 is hit. With Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez joining a lineup that already included David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli, the Red Sox have a lethal offense. With Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin joining a lineup that already included Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes, the Blue Jays’ offense is arguably even more lethal.

This wouldn’t matter if neither team figured to pitch well in 2015, but both should. Though the Blue Jays have a shaky bullpen and the Red Sox’s pitching staff is more about depth than quality, FanGraphs sees enough talent to project both to finish in the top half of MLB in pitching WAR.

When we started, appearances suggested that the AL East’s shortage of established aces would be a problem for the division’s would-be World Series contenders in 2015. But it looks like less of a problem knowing that the division isn’t short on potential aces, and even less of a problem knowing that the anecdotal evidence for the value of elite starting pitching in October doesn’t hold much water.

Really, the teams with the best hope of winning in October are the good all-around teams. The AL East has two of those at worst, and four of those at best. That’s about as good as gets for any division.

That’s the best way to look at the AL East. It’s not as well-stocked with established aces as it was even as recently as the first half of 2014, but that’s a black mark that looks worse than it should hurt.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.  

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If you happen to have sneaked a peek at the position players still available in free agency lately, you probably noticed something right away—there’s not much left out there worth getting excited about. Except for Yoan Moncada, the next Cuban phenom.

Hanley Ramirez? Off the board to the Boston Red Sox. Pablo Sandoval? Ditto.

Russell Martin? Now a Toronto Blue Jay. Yasmany Tomas? Welcome to America and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Victor Martinez? Re-signed with the Detroit Tigers. Chase Headley? With the New York Yankees.

Those hitters who remain free agents include the likes of—no drum roll needed—Asdrubal Cabrera, Colby Rasmus, Stephen Drew, Everth Cabrera, Rickie Weeks, Mike Carp, Juan Francisco, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Ludwick and Emilio Bonifacio, among other even lesser players.

So with all of the big-name free-agent position players signed, sealed and delivered, the top target hitting option on the open market heading into the new year is none other than—drum roll, please—Mr. Moncada.

By now, you should be at least a little familiar with the 6’0″, 210-pound, 19-year-old switch-hitting infielder who possesses plus tools and an all-around skill set.

Moncada hit .273/.365/.406 for Cienfuegos in Cuba’s top professional league, Serie Nacional, from 2013-14, which is especially impressive for a teenager.

Moncada left Cuba—legally—in June, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reported. He then gained residency in Guatemala, where he held his initial showcase workout for all Major League Baseball teams in mid-November, as Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote:

Moncada took several rounds of batting practice from both sides of the plate, performing much better from the left side, consistent with what scouts who have followed him over the years have said. He showed excellent bat speed and plus raw power, though after a long day and a lot of swings so scouts could see him from both sides of the plate, he did seem to wear down.

He showed his plus speed by running the 60-yard dash in around 6.6 seconds, and he took groundballs at shortstop, second and third base. In Cuba’s 18U national league in 2012, Moncada played shortstop, though that’s mostly because he was the best athlete on the field. At junior national tournaments, Moncada has played third and second, and he’s been primarily a second baseman for Cienfuegos during his two seasons in Serie Nacional.

Scouts said Moncada looked uncomfortable at shortstop, which they expected, but looked more natural at third and second, the positions he’s most likely to play in pro ball, although he has plenty of speed to go to the outfield if a team sees him as a fit there. He has at least a plus arm, with some scouts giving it a 70 grade.

Back in November, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports speculated that Moncada could net upward of $30 million to $40 million despite the fact that he is subject to international bonus pool allotments. Passan did note, however, that spending over the amount available for international amateurs would incur a 100 percent tax, meaning a $30 million deal would “cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million.”

Given the leftovers on the position player front, expect the price to be pushed toward the high end of any dollar amounts floated over the coming days and weeks—even with the built-in penalty.

Thing is, while MLB has declared Moncada a free agent, he has not yet been cleared by the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a necessary step to allow him to sign with a team.

Not that this is dampening the hype surrounding Moncada and his massive potential.

“In the end,” an American League team executive said via Jorge Arangure Jr. of Vice Sports, “someone is going to spend smartly to get the services of a player that can change a franchise.”

For now? The baseball world waits. If anything, the anticipation and speculation is only working in Moncada‘s favor.

Among the teams that have been mentioned as the primary suitors for Moncada are the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, according to Badler.

But pretty much every team wants in on Moncada.

The chance to sign him appears to be nearing. He has made his way into the United States and is preparing to start private workouts with MLB clubs very soon, per Sanchez.

The interest and intrigue over Moncada is growing, both with each passing day and with each free-agent hitter that comes off the board.

Considering there are so few worthwhile players left, it’s no wonder the allure and potential of Moncada has made him the top free-agent position player. Even if he’s not actually available just yet.

Statistics are accurate through the 2014 season and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Every year, a handful of Major League Baseball players emerge from relative obscurity to become key contributors for their respective teams and household names to baseball fans across the country.

The breakout performance of guys like Jonathan Lucroy and Corey Kluber stole the headlines in 2014, but those two were relatively well-known around the league heading into the 2014 season.

On the other hand, guys like Josh Harrison, J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, Jake Arrieta, Tyson Ross and Dellin Betances were all relatively unknown league-wide heading into the year but emerged as stars by the end of the season.

So which players could announce themselves to the baseball world with a breakthrough year?

Here is a look at 10 guys who may not be known to most everyday baseball fans but could see that change in 2015 as they step into more significant roles with their respective teams and look to build off their 2014 performances.

Begin Slideshow