MLB teams are not messing around this offseason.

Before the rest of us can cut Thanksgiving short to save some dough for a flat-screen TV, many baseball squads have already purchased expensive gifts for their fans. General managers have not yet gathered for the annual winter meetings, but they’re already busy hammering home deals before the holidays.

In another slew of signings that will inspire parents to push their children to play baseball, Carlos Ruiz, Tim Hudson, Dan Haren, Chris Young, Jhonny Peralta and Brian McCann, among others, are already off the market.

That’s not even including the blockbuster trade that saw the Detroit Tigers send Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler.

There’s already plenty of change to note, yet the offseason has only just begun. When baseball executives assemble in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 9, they’ll chalk up even more agreements—but not until first riding Space Mountain, of course.

Considering the league’s impatience so far, it’s safe to assume teams won’t pause their business until December. More moves will come, but which ones?

Let’s employ our critical-thinking skills to decipher which deals will go down next. Just keep in mind that these are educated guesses based on recent rumor-mill rumblings. Don’t rush to pre-order a new jersey.

 

Note: All advanced stats are courtesy of FanGraphs.com. Payroll information obtained from Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

 

Begin Slideshow