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The St. Louis Cardinals made their biggest roster move in 2014 when they sent Allen Craig and Joe Kelly to Boston in exchange for Corey Littrell and John Lackey. It was a move that fans questioned, both logically and emotionally.

Craig and Kelly were fan favorites in St. Louis. Kelly was loved for his antics, Craig simply for his ability. In 2012 and 2013, Craig was one of the most prolific run producers in St. Louis. Slowed by an injury sustained in late 2013, Craig simply did not regain his form in 2014.

His lack of production led to his trade to Boston. Shortly after arriving, he found his way back to the disabled list. By the time the season came to a close, Craig had only played in 29 games for Boston, posting a paltry .128 batting average and driving in two runs. 

The Red Sox went into the offseason looking to revamp their lackluster offense. They spent $183 million on free agents Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez will make the move to the outfield and assume the starting left field position. Sandoval will become the new third baseman, a position that manager John Farrell had reportedly told Craig to prepare to play.

Craig has spent time primarily in the outfield and at first base in the major leagues. He played a total of 198 games at third base between 2007 and 2008 in the minor leagues. He has also played a few games here and there at second base during his career. His versatility makes him a valuable commodity. 

If he is producing offensively, he is worth that much more. It seems the only thing keeping him from doing so is his health, a problem he insists is no longer a concern, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

“I can’t reiterate enough that I feel really good physically,” Craig said, via Lauber.

A healthy Craig is a good thing for a team that has a place for him to play. Boston doesn’t seem to be that place.

With Sandoval at third, Mike Napoli at first and Dustin Pedroia at second, the infield is well covered. The outfield—consisting of youngster Mookie Betts, veteran Shane Victorino and the aforementioned Ramirez—seems fairly well set as well. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava will be challenging for time in the crowded outfield as well.

Indeed, the Boston Red Sox have one of the game’s best hitters and nothing to do with him. It is a similar situation that led to his departure from St. Louis, as the Cardinals didn’t have a clear fit for Craig, either. 

The Red Sox may very well use spring training as an audition ground for Craig to show his health and ability to other teams that may have an interest. His back-loaded contract, which will pay him $5.5 million this year but escalate to $9 million and $11 million over 2016 and 2017, makes him an expensive bench option. 

Alternatively, the Red Sox could use Craig in a super-sub role this season, the final one on Napoli‘s contract. If he starts to hit the way he claims he can, he could take over at first if the Red Sox elect to not bring Napoli back. It’s a long shot, but it may be the best option over all.

Craig may very well be a productive hitter for the future of a franchise. A player with his abilities tends to find a home in a lineup pretty quickly.

It’s not often that a player who can have that level of impact follows a similar path that Craig will have to.

Transaction and salary in this article courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

Bill Ivie is the founder of I-70 Baseball. Follow him on Twitter to discuss baseball anytime.

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The development of former first-rounder Devin Mesoraco took a little longer than the Cincinnati Reds might have expected, but their patience has paid off, as they have locked up one of 2014’s biggest breakout performers—and a potential franchise catcher—through the prime of his career and at a great value.

The two sides have agreed on a reported four-year extension worth $28 million, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The deal—worth up to $30 million total with incentives, per Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors—will run through the 2018 season, which would have been Mesoraco‘s first beyond team control. While the Reds bought out one year of the backstop’s free agency, Mesoraco still gets to hit the open market as a 30-year-old.

Considering the dearth of talent at catcher, this is a very savvy move by the Reds, who need some cost certainty—and a bargain or two.

In addition to the possibility of losing free-agents-to-be Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake from the rotation, the Reds roster is filled with high-salaried position player stars (or former stars) who are either coming off injury-plagued campaigns (Joey Votto, Jay Bruce) or declining rapidly as they age (Brandon Phillips).

Mesoraco, who was drafted 15th overall back in 2007 and didn’t get a chance to be the club’s full-time starter until last year, might not yet be a full-blown star—or even all that well known outside of Cincinnati—but he made the All-Star team in 2014 and even garnered some MVP votes for his all-around production.

The 26-year-old triple-slashed .273/.359/.534 with 50 extra-base hits, including 25 homers. And he did so in only 440 plate appearances.

Here’s a look at where Mesoraco ranked in those categories, as well as the all-encompassing wins above replacement among all backstops in 2014:

Mesoraco‘s 4.4 fWAR checked in as the fifth-highest among catchers, behind only Jonathan Lucroy (6.3 fWAR), Buster Posey (5.7), Russell Martin (5.3) and Yan Gomes (4.6).

And this is worth pointing out again: Mesoraco‘s production came in significantly fewer games played than three of those four, as only Martin (111 games) played fewer than Mesoraco‘s 114.

Among those five, only Gomes—by exactly one month—is younger than Mesoraco, who has at least a full year on the others, including Posey, who turns 28 in late March.

While Mesoraco has proved that his slugging bat and quality approach makes him an elite offensive catcher at the plate, he recognizes that he still is trying to figure things out better behind it:

“You just have to continue to work hard and stay hungry,” Mesoraco said, per Derrick Webb of the Chillicothe Gazette. “I need to keep improving my defense to really become one of the all around better catchers in the game. My defense needs to and will continue to improve the more that I’m (behind the plate) and the more comfortable I get. That’s the main focus, just going out there and doing my thing.”

As Mesoraco points out, a large part of getting better defensively could come merely from more playing time. Prior to last season, he had never started more than 84 games at catcher in the majors, and even his 2014 total of 104 starts was cut into by oblique and hamstring strains that required stints on the disabled list.

As is, Mesoraco was solid on D last year, ranking a little better than average in defensive runs saved. And while he could stand to throw out more base-stealers—he nabbed 18 of 69 attempts—his 26 percent caught-stealing rate was right around the league average of 28 percent.

While offense clearly is Mesoraco’s strength, he has shown enough to stick behind the plate going forward. That makes his bat all the more valuable, given that catcher rated as the third-worst aggregate on-base-plus slugging percentage (.689) among all positions in the majors in 2014, ahead of only second base (.686) and shortstop (.678).

In other words, for a franchise that boasts two of the best backstops in baseball history in Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Ernie Lombardi, Mesoraco‘s combination of pedigree, age, experience, hunger and all-around talent have him in position to become one of the sport’s next great catchers.

That is, if he isn’t already.

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.

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Devin Mesoraco and the Cincinnati Reds apparently have no interest in fighting each other in the arbitration process. The All-Star catcher agreed Monday to a four-year contract that buys out his three arbitration years and his first year of free agency.       

The Reds confirmed the move:

C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer first reported the news, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports provided the details of the new contract:

Mesoraco, the Reds’ first-round pick in 2007, has blossomed into one of baseball’s best two-way catchers. After struggling to find himself as an offensive player his first three years, he broke out in 2014 as perhaps the game’s best power-hitting backstop. He hit .273/.359/.534 with 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 114 games, setting career highs across the board.

During a recent promotional stop, Mesoraco talked with reporters about improvements he’s still looking to make in his game, according to Derrick Webb of the Chillicothe (Ohio) Gazette: 

You just have to continue to work hard and stay hungry. I need to keep improving my defense to really become one of the all around better catchers in the game. My defense needs to and will continue to improve the more that I’m (behind the plate) and the more comfortable I get. That’s the main focus, just going out there and doing my thing.

Mesoraco was scheduled to hit arbitration for the first time in 2015. He and the Reds would have met with an arbitrator next month had a compromise not been struck.

The signing makes Mesoraco one of the Reds’ building blocks for years to come. His 4.4 wins above replacement (FanGraphs formula) was fifth among catchers with at least 400 plate appearances. It’s likely he would have ranked higher had he not missed most of the first two months with injuries.

His absence helped facilitate a shaky start that soon turned into a lost season in Cincinnati. The Reds finished a disappointing 76-86 in 2014, snapping their streak of back-to-back playoff appearances. Without much in the way of free-agent help, the front office is banking on its in-house talent leading a push back to the postseason in the increasingly competitive National League Central.  

Getting Mesoraco‘s deal done is perhaps the first promising sign for the future.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

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Winter may still be in full force (especially on the East Coast) and the offseason still not complete, but baseball season is closer than we realize, with less than a month to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

It seems as if we spend an inordinate amount of time each winter breaking down, debating and ranking which players and teams are the biggest winners and losers of the hot stove league, but what about divisions?

Sure, there’s still one big-name free agent left (James Shields) and some high-profile talent that could still be traded, shifting power and changing a division’s profile, but by and large, what we see is what we’re going to get when St. Louis and Chicago get the season underway April 5.

What better time to take a broad look at the comings and goings within each of baseball’s six divisions and rank them? Perhaps the more important question to ask is how do we rank them?

These rankings put more emphasis on the good rather than the bad. For example, a highly competitive division with multiple contenders is going to come in higher on our list than one that has an overwhelming favorite and a bunch of mediocre clubs.

Let’s get to it.

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Last week, my Bleacher Report colleague Jason Catania wrote an article laying out the perfect 25-man roster.  In his slideshow, he made it clear that he was not just putting together a team full of All-Stars, but a team with a solid blend of superstars and role players.  

After reading his list, I had the idea to make my own team.  However, I am not making the same stipulations.  This is an All-Star team with no limits.  

This team is my predictions for who will be stars four years from now.  There will be plenty of young prospects but also a few veteran players who will still be performing at a high level in 2019.

In this ranking, I will take into account the player’s talent as well as their prime years.  I can only include so many players, so please comment with any suggestions or ideas.

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One of the most exciting parts of spring training each year is getting a chance to see some of the game’s top prospects in action against big league talent.

While the preseason can be a monotonous time for established big league players, it’s an exciting chance for young guys to show what they’re capable of, and in some cases, it’s the first chance a fanbase gets to see what could be the future of its team in a game situation.

So with spring training less than a month away, let’s take a look at each MLB team’s prospect who will turn the most heads this spring.

To clarify, this is not simply an overview of each teams No. 1 prospect, though in many cases, that’s who winds up being the selection.

Instead, we’re focusing here on guys with tools that make you say “wow” when you watch them—a slugger who can put on a show in batting practice, a speedster who can leg out an infield hit and then steal second, a starter with an nasty repertoire of pitches or a late-inning reliever who can light up the radar gun.

*Note: Not every team has released its list of non-roster invitees yet this year, so in some cases we are assuming that a prospect not currently on the 40-man roster is going to get an invite to big league camp.

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The ongoing cold war between the New York Yankees and third baseman Alex Rodriguez reportedly is headed for another battle. Bill Madden and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News reported the Yankees are preparing to contest the $6 million bonuses due to Rodriguez as he moves his way up the all-time home runs list. 

Rodriguez, who is currently fifth on the all-time list with 654 home runs, is six away from tying Willie Mays. The Yankees, citing their beleaguered star’s continued use of performance-enhancing drugs, plan to allege his cheating nullifies the marketing power of his ascent up the record books.

The 10-year, $272 million deal Rodriguez signed in 2007 calls for a $6 million bonus for each player he passes on the all-time home runs list, beginning with Mays. Madden and Thompson indicate the Yankees will argue they “signed the agreement under false pretenses,” namely that Rodriguez was not cheating. The deal is separate from Rodriguez’s playing contract, which makes it unprecedented from an MLB perspective.

New York will still owe Rodriguez the $61 million remaining on his playing contract regardless of a decision on the bonuses. 

Once considered MLB’s best all-around player, Rodriguez spent the entire 2014 campaign suspended due to his involvement with the Biogenesis scandal. A degenerative hip condition caused him to miss all but 44 games in 2013, meaning Rodriguez will be looking to play his first full season in two years in 2015.

Because of the scandals, the relationship between the Yankees and Rodriguez is rocky at best. Thompson, Madden and Michael O’Keeffe of the Daily News reported over the weekend that team brass declined Rodriguez’s request for a meeting before spring training. A source told the Daily News the relationship will “never” be repaired.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

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Earlier today Prospect Pipeline completed our rankings of every organization’s top-10 prospects for the 2015 season. Now, it’s now time to go back and break down every club’s No. 1 prospect in the form of a team-by-team ranking.

In preparation for spring training as well as our official list of the top 100 prospects for the upcoming season, we’ve put together a tentative ranking of each team’s best prospect heading into 2015. Some of the scouting notes for each player have been derived from his original scouting report.

Here are our rankings of the top prospect for all 30 MLB teams entering 2015.

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It was widely believed that top prospect Archie Bradley would spend most of the 2014 season in the major leagues, but an elbow injury in late April cut into his development and forced the organization to reassess his timeline. The right-hander looked better in this year’s Arizona Fall League, but he’ll still have some questions to answer in the upcoming season.

Braden Shipley, the No. 15 pick in last year’s draft, proved to be a first-round steal with a plus fastball-changeup combination, impressive athleticism and better than expected command. The team’s Compensation Round A pick from last year, right-hander Aaron Blair, has also been impressive this season, as he dominated at three levels, including Double-A.

The Diamondbacks landed another potential steal this year when Touki Toussaint fell in their lap at No. 16 overall, followed by ultra-athletic outfielder Marcus Wilson in compensation round B.

22-year-old Brandon Drury, who was acquired from the Braves in the Justin Upton deal, has a good eye at the plate, makes a lot of contact and has grown into some power. The same applies to 243-year-old third baseman Jake Lamb, who received a promotion to the major leagues in August after raking at Double-A Mobile.

The Diamondbacks also have a pair of promising, switch-hitting teenage middle infielders in Domingo Leyba (19), who came over from the Tigers this offseason in the Didi Gregorius trade, and shortstop Sergio Alcantara (18), who has an incredibly advanced approach for his age to go along with the defensive chops to stick at shortstop.

Here are the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ top 10 prospects for the 2015 season.

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The drought needs to end.

The Toronto Blue Jays have not made the postseason since winning the World Series in 1993, the longest dry spell in Major League Baseball. Though the Jays have made blockbuster trades aimed at ending the streak in recent years, including this offseason, they have not finished any better than third in the American League East in the last eight seasons.

This offseason has been one of the most impactful in franchise history. Toronto acquired MVP candidate Josh Donaldson in a trade and signed native son Russell Martin as a free agent. But the Jays are still one major piece away from ending the drought at 21 years.

James Shields is that piece.

The Blue Jays’ rotation was not good last season, ranking 11th out of 15 AL teams with a 3.96 ERA and 10th with a 3.93 FIP. And aside from their fifth spot, the rotation will be the same for 2015, with R.A. Dickey, Marcus Stroman, Mark Buehrle and Drew Hutchison all returning. Clearly, there is room to upgrade and a significant need for a No. 1 starter.

The problem is money. The Blue Jays have a reported $5-7 million remaining in their budget, and as of now, it seems to be earmarked for bullpen improvements.

Shields is going to cost considerably more than what the Jays currently have in their budget. That is even with rumblings from CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman that the five-year, $110 million offer he was reported to have on the table was a “mirage,” and that his price tag is likely going to end up being considerably less.

If his asking price does drop, it could put the Blue Jays in play, but it would also open the door for several other teams as well. Major league sources confirmed to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal earlier this month that the Jays do indeed have interest in Shields and have had internal discussions to determine a price the club would be comfortable spending.

All offseason, the payroll threshold for the Blue Jays has been set at around $137 million, and they are currently at around $130 million in commitments, according to information from Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

In order to sign Shields, the contract would probably have to be backloaded, as is Martin’s deal. It will also require Toronto’s ownership group, Rogers Communications, to be willing to push their payroll into the $150 million territory.

There are definite obstacles in making this happen, but if it does, Shields will be the key piece in making the Blue Jays a 2015 postseason participant as he was for Kansas City’s World Series run last October.

As things stand now, the AL East seems to be the most wide-open division in baseball. Last season’s champions, the Baltimore Orioles, lost a ton of power in Nelson Cruz and a reliable bat in Nick Markakis and also do not have a true ace in their rotation. The New York Yankees are aging and prone to injuries, especially in their rotation. The Tampa Bay Rays lost their best player, Ben Zobrist, and the Boston Red Sox, despite big-time upgrades to their lineup, have real questions concerning their rotation.

Signing Shields would mean the Blue Jays have a durable No. 1 starter to head their rotation backed by one of the deepest lineups in the AL. That does not mean the Jays would be a lock to win the division, but Shields would give their chances a massive boost.

The market for Shields has taken a weird turn in the last month. Teams seem to have fleeting interest in him, and others have all but completely shut the door on signing him, including ones that have pitching needs like the San Diego Padres, Red Sox and Royals. One executive even thinks part of the problem is that Shields’ agent, Page Odle, has not marketed Shields like an ace, as The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported Sunday. 

Whatever the reason for Shields’ suddenly odd market, he is there to be had for the Blue Jays and at a price that has dropped significantly from the rumored $110 million. While it is easy to understand ownership’s apprehension at handing a 33-year-old pitcher upward of $80 million, the risk is still relatively small since Rosenthal reported the length of a Shields contract would likely be four years. That makes the pitcher a manageable investment.

The Blue Jays have already committed themselves to winning in 2015. The moves to acquire Donaldson and Martin prove that much. But they are still an incomplete team. They are missing a top-of-the-rotation arm, one that Shields possesses.

In order for the Toronto to legitimize its push to end the longest playoff drought in the majors, it needs to open the wallet and get its ace.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent he 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.

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