November is normally a quiet time for Major League Baseball. The awards are handed out, the free agents file and then the jockeying goes on quietly as teams prepare for the winter meetings in December.
Not so much this year.
For starters, the new collective bargaining agreement drastically changed free agency. Instead of a December deadline to offer arbitration to pending free agents, teams had a Nov. 13 deadline by which to choose to extend a one-year, $13.3 million qualifying offer.
Then, the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays got together to pull off one of the largest trades in baseball history, a 12-player blockbuster that completely altered the landscapes in the East Division of both the American and National leagues.
Free agents are beginning to sign, with outfielder B.J. Upton moving north from Tampa Bay to Atlanta on Thursday after signing a five-year, $75.25 million deal.
So with that as a backdrop, which five teams are seeing their stocks soaring?