The 2016 MLB winter meetings yanked multiple big-ticket free agents and trade targets off the board.
Ace lefty Chris Sale jumped from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox. Mark Melancon shattered the record for a relief-pitcher contract, then Aroldis Chapman shattered it again—and so on.
That’s the allure of the annual December confab. It invariably alters the offseason landscape.
Plenty of intriguing, game-changing names remain unsigned or untraded, though. The hot stove will keep crackling until the first spring thaw.
With that in mind, let’s re-rank the top 15 remaining trade and free-agent prizes, taking into consideration age, skill set, track record, position, price tag and/or contract status.
We’re also only considering trade candidates who have been featured in recent credible rumors, so some guys (like, say, Justin Verlander) didn’t make the cut.
Tap the clay off your cleats and proceed when ready.