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The 2016-17 MLB offseason is underway, as another thrilling postseason was capped off by the Chicago Cubs besting the Cleveland Indians in a seven-game World Series for the ages.

There will be time to reflect on the 2016 season in the months ahead, but there is no rest for MLB teams in their pursuit of a title, and the offseason work is already underway.

All 30 teams have different to-do lists heading into the winter, as each team looks to shore up its roster for a run of its own in 2017.

What follows is a quick rundown of each team’s shopping list as things stand here in the early stages of the offseason, with a focus on what specific positions each team will be looking to upgrade.

Things will obviously change as the weeks and months pass, but for now, this serves as a primer for what to expect from each team.

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The MLB season may be over, but there’s no offseason in an MLB front office, as teams are already hard at work building toward next year.

Early to-do items around the league include deciding whether to exercise player options and whether to extend qualifying offers to eligible free agents.

That often leads to some early activity on the trade market, with teams moving to acquire a player before his option is declined and he’s free to sign anywhere.

Meanwhile, eligible free agents are gearing up for what they hope will be bidding wars for their services on the free-agent market, and teams are already fielding calls regarding potential trade chips.

So at the start of the MLB offseason, let’s take a quick look at some early questions from around the league. 

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The Arizona Fall League gives some of baseball’s top prospects chances to further hone their skills against some of the best talent minor league baseball has to offer.

This year, 21 players from among the league’s top 100 prospects—according to rankings from MLB.com’s Prospect Watch—are suiting up for one of the league’s six teams.

We’ve highlighted the standout performers from among that group of top prospects, which is primarily made up of position players, as most elite pitching prospects generally hit inning caps during their seasons.

From New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres to Boston Red Sox right-hander Michael Kopech, here’s a look at the top MLB prospects who are making waves in the 2016 Arizona Fall League.

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With a 7-2 victory Saturday night, the Cleveland Indians took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Chicago Cubs, and they’ll be looking to wrap up a World Series title Sunday.

Game 1 starter Jon Lester gets the ball for the Cubs after turning in a less-than-spectacular start his last time out when he allowed six hits, three walks and three earned runs in 5.2 innings to take the loss.

Meanwhile, the Indians will turn to Trevor Bauer on three days’ rest after doing the same with ace Corey Kluber Saturday night. Bauer made it just 3.2 innings in Game 2, allowing six hits and two earned runs to earn the loss.

Ahead of what could be a decisive Game 5 in Chicago, let’s take a look at some keys to success for both teams.

Indians: Get just enough from Trevor Bauer

The Indians have ridden the three-headed bullpen monster of Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen hard this postseason, and the formula has worked.

When Game 5 starter Trevor Bauer lasted just 3.2 innings in Game 2, however, it meant digging deeper into the relief corps, which quickly turned into an advantage for the Cubs.

Zach McAllister was the first to follow Bauer, and he promptly allowed two runs in his two-thirds of an inning of work as the Cubs managed to come away with a 5-1 victory to tie the series at one game apiece.

The Indians aren’t asking for a complete game out of Bauer, who will be working on three days’ rest. They simply need him to pitch deep enough that the questionable middle relief is a non-factor, allowing them to go straight to that lights-out trio.

For that to happen, Bauer will need to survive the opening frame.

During the regular season, the right-hander worked to a 6.43 ERA in the first inning, and those early-game struggles have continued in the playoffs.

The Boston Red Sox got on the board in the first inning with a run against Bauer in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, and the Cubs did the same in Game 2 of the World Series when Anthony Rizzo doubled home Kris Bryant.

Cubs: Get an ace-caliber start from Jon Lester

Leading up to the World Series this year and throughout his postseason career, Jon Lester has been mostly brilliant when the lights are brightest.

In 124.2 career playoff innings, he’s pitched to a 2.60 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, including three terrific starts in the division series and championship series this postseason.

He wasn’t at his best in Game 1, though.

Too much nibbling on an outside corner where he wasn’t getting strike calls meant falling behind against a lot of hitters, and by the time his night was over, he had thrown just 57 strikes among his 97 pitches.

It was the first time that the 32-year-old failed to pitch at least six innings in a playoff game since 2013—a run of eight starts dating back to his time in Boston.

Sunday will be the biggest start Lester has made in a Cubs uniform, and with the offense sputtering once again in Game 4, Chicago needs the ace version of the left-hander to show up.

“He has been lights-out,” shortstop Addison Russell told reporters after the Game 4 loss. “He has been our ace this year. We have all the faith in the world in him. I can’t wait to play (Sunday) and I know these guys can’t wait to play (Sunday) and hopefully get back at (the Indians).”

Both Teams: Capitalize with runners in scoring position

Clutch hits breed heroes during the postseason, and capitalizing with runners in scoring position remains an obvious key to success for both teams.

That’s been easier said than done this World Series, though.

The Indians are hitting .231 with runners in scoring position so far during the Fall Classic, while the Cubs have managed a meager .135 clip.

In fact, the Cubs have struck out a staggering 17 times in 39 such plate appearances, so their offensive shortcomings have not been for lack of opportunity.

Early October hero Javier Baez has seen a team-high nine at-bats with runners in scoring position, failing to drive in a single run and going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts.

The home run ball has not been a weapon for the Cubs so far this series, so finding a way to manufacture a run or stringing together some base hits may be what it takes to break through.

On the other side, a dialed-in Lester could make things difficult on the Indians, so cashing in the chances they do have will be that much more important.

It sounds easy enough, but the difference in Game 5 could be who comes up with that one clutch hit.

All stats courtesy of MLB.com, unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

We’ve already spent a good deal of time looking at the upcoming free-agent market, breaking down the top players available and searching for potential fits on a team-by-team basis.

However, this year’s trade market could prove to be just as interesting.

With such a limited pool of starting pitchers available, contending teams are expected to push hard for controllable young arms, and that could mean plenty of prospects and MLB-level players alike changing hands this offseason.

With that in mind, what follows is a look at the most likely player to be traded from each MLB team this offseason.

The selections were made based on a combination of rumors, team needs, projected arbitration figures and team outlook for the 2016 season and beyond.

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The World Series is underway, and while that means an exciting week of baseball to come, it also means we’re just one week away from the start of the MLB offseason.

The end of another season is always met with some level of sadness as winter starts to close in and we once again kick off the countdown to spring training.

However, there’s always a wealth of offseason action to come, and that’s what we previewed here.

Ahead, you’ll find a breakdown of this year’s free-agent class, with players lumped into three categories: under-the-radar free agents, second-tier free agents and top-tier free agents.

We’ve also included a rundown of some notable potential trade candidates as well as made a prediction for the surprise move of the offseason.

Think of this as your primer for another long offseason to come.

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With the World Series set to begin on Tuesday, we’re less than two weeks away from the start of another action-packed MLB offseason.

This year’s crop of free agents is loaded with impact power bats and high-octane relievers but is historically lacking in starting pitching options.

As a result, it could be a busy winter on the trade market, with contenders forced to wheel and deal in an effort to upgrade their rotations and non-contenders looking to sell high on their controllable arms.

At any rate, expect the usual inundation of trade rumors and speculation once the 2016 season officially wraps up and a new champ is crowned.

With that in mind, it’s never too early to start doing some speculating of our own, so here’s a look at five potential blockbuster deals that could come to pass this offseason.

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Things are all knotted up at two games apiece between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in their National League Championship Series clash, following a much-needed victory from the Cubs on Wednesday night.

It’s now a best-of-three battle the rest of the way for the right to represent the NL against the AL champion Cleveland Indians in the World Series.

After a thrilling late-game victory in Game 1, the Cubs were shut out in Games 2 and 3, with their scoreless-inning streak running all the way to 21 innings before they finally plated a run in the fourth inning of Game 4.

The floodgates opened from there, and the Cubs walked away with a 10-2 victory as they looked to swing the momentum back in their favor.

Both teams will now go back to their Game 1 starters, as left-hander Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA, 197 K) takes the ball for the Cubs and right-hander Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA, 179 K) gets the start for the Dodgers.

Who will come out on top in the pivotal Game 5 of this NLCS matchup?

Keep it right here for live updates on all of Thursday’s action, and for further MLB analysis, be sure to follow me on Twitter, @JoelReuterBR.

FINAL SCORE: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4

Top 1: Anthony Rizzo RBI double (1-0)

Bot 4: Adrian Gonzalez RBI groundout (1-1)

Top 6: Addison Russell 2-run home run (3-1)

Top 8: Dexter Fowler RBI single (4-1)

Top 8: Kris Bryant RBI single (5-1)

Top 8: Javy Baez 3-run double (8-1)

Bot 8: Carlos Ruiz RBI double (8-2)

Bot 9: Josh Reddick RBI single (8-3)

Bot 9: Andrew Toles sac fly (8-4)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2016 MLB postseason is in full swing, but for the 26 teams no longer in contention, the offseason can’t come soon enough.

This year’s free-agent market is loaded with impact hitters, headlined by Yoenis Cespedes, Edwin Encarnacion, Justin Turner, Ian Desmond, Mark Trumbo, Dexter Fowler, Jose Bautista and Mike Napoli.

The relief pitching market is also deep, with a trio of elite closers in Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon joining quality setup arms like Neftali Feliz, Travis Wood, Brad Ziegler, Brett Cecil and bounce-back candidate Greg Holland.

Then there’s the barren wasteland that is this year’s available starting pitching crop.

Rich Hill, Jeremy Hellickson and Ivan Nova are the top options in a group that also includes Andrew Cashner, Bartolo Colon, Doug Fister and other veterans best suited as organizational depth.

A lot will change in the months to come, but for now let’s take a crack at predicting where the top 15 names of this upcoming free-agent class might wind up landing.

Note: “2017 age” refers to how old a player will be on June 30 of the upcoming season.

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The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers split the first two games of their National League Championship Series matchup, and the series now shifts to Dodger Stadium for a pivotal Game 3.

Miguel Montero delivered the big blow with a pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 as the Cubs picked up a thrilling 8-4 victory in front of the home fans.

They ran into a buzz saw in Game 2, though: Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen combined for a two-hit shutout, and the Dodgers earned a 1-0 victory behind a solo home run from Adrian Gonzalez.

Now it’s on to Game 3, where Rich Hill will take the ball for the Dodgers, and the Cubs will turn to Jake Arrieta.

Before the action resumes Tuesday night, let’s take a look at some keys to victory for both teams.

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