Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Sanchez, 28, is arguably the top pitcher remaining on the free agent market with Greinke out of the way, and is reportedly looking for a deal worth around $90 million over six years. Obviously, all of this is speculation, but the Dodgers have proven not to be worried about anything related to finances, so it’s not at all an impossible development. However, Bowden did go on to state that he felt confident the team would work something out with Ryu.

While Sanchez is not up to Zack Greinke’s standards, he could be a very good consolation prize for a team who missed out on Greinke, or simply a cheaper alternative for those who weren’t willing to pay for Greinke’s services. The former Marlin and Tiger has now posted three consecutive seasons of very consistent 4.0 WAR range production, and as he’s still in his prime, this is a reasonable expectation for the next handful of seasons as well.

The right-hander from Venezuela has come a long way as a pitcher since making headlines for throwing a no-hitter in his rookie season, and is now a very solid option near the top of the rotation for just about any team in baseball, even if he has yet to establish himself as a true number one starter. It’s possible he still has a new level of performance to reach in the coming seasons, but even if he merely levels off instead, he’s still a relatively safe investment — as safe as any pitcher can be, anyway.

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Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

While Hamilton is sure to get an impressive annual value in whatever contract he signs, teams have thus far expressed reluctance in handing out more than three years due to the slugger’s continual health concerns and — perhaps — his checkered past. With Seattle making such a point to woo Hamilton away from the Lone Star State, it’s not an unreasonable assumption that they will give in and start tacking on the extra years no other team seems ready to include.

It’s also not unreasonable to assume that Hamilton should be more than capable of providing his usual 4.0 WAR performance in the next several seasons for whomever he ends up signing with, as he’s still about six months shy of his 32nd birthday — several prime seasons may still be ahead of him.

However, he’s not likely to get less injury prone as he ages; in fact, the opposite is true, and aside from the one truly otherworldly season in 2010, Hamilton has never put together up numbers that rank him among the elite hitters in baseball. He’s a talented player to be certain, but I think there’s a lot of merit to exercising caution when it comes to signing him, and while the Mariners are in desperate need of offense, putting together a massive deal that stretches out through the 2018 season may be a little on the hasty side.

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Since 2008, Greinke has not failed to reach at least 4.0 WAR (per FanGraphs) in any given season, topping out at a ridiculous 9.3 WAR in his career year of 2009 — a season that saw him win his first and only Cy Young to date — while still with Kansas City.

Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Few players can be said to be worth this kind of a financial commitment, but Greinke is good enough to give the Dodgers a return on their investment and then some. He won’t turn 30 until after the 2013 season, so the Dodgers will be covering his age 29-34 years over the course of this contract, and it’s not at all unreasonable to suggest his best years may still be ahead of him.

The former sixth overall draft pick is a truly rare talent, one who features great control (2.3 BB/9) as well as the ability to overpower hitters and miss bats (8.0 K/9), and he’s been very durable as well — he’s logged at least 200 innings in four of the last five seasons. These are all desirable attributes for a front-line starting pitcher, something Greinke will have to continue to be to justify his new salary.

While there have been plenty of instances in which a team has gotten burned for signing a starting pitcher to a long-term deal, there are absolutely no warning signs in this particular case to indicate Greinke will not be worth it. He’s as gifted and reliable as any pitcher in the game, and barring the well known anxiety-related issues (nothing medication can’t solve), one would be hard-pressed to dig up any dirt on him at all.

Greinke will join a potentially loaded rotation featuring names such as Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, and Chad Billingsley, although a trade may well be on the horizon following this move. As the Dodgers continue to aggressively overhaul their roster, this move has to be considered one that increases their chances of fending off the World Champion San Francisco Giants in the NL West in 2013.

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Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Kuroda, who will be 38 before the 2013 season starts, made a difficult transition from the NL West in one of baseball’s most pitcher-friendly parks to the loaded AL East last and handled it with aplomb. Kuroda was worth 3.9 WAR per FanGraphs in 2012, the second highest total of the Yankee rotation behind only staff ace CC Sabathia.

While obviously not a candidate for a long-term deal due to his age, teams looking for a short-term solution in their rotation could do a lot worse than inking Kuroda to a one or two-year deal this offseason. He’s failed to make at least 31 starts only once in five years since being imported from Japan, he owns a solid 3.42 career ERA, and his control is always excellent. Until the inevitable age-related decline sets in, Koroda figures to remain a consistent starter, and someone who could hold his own as a number-three even in a very strong rotation.

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Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

While Victorino’s numbers did fall short of his norm this past season, he’s still a very productive big league center fielder with game-changing speed on the bases and a very reliable glove in the field. Thanks to these positive attributes, he still managed to contribute 3.3 WAR in 2012 despite a paltry .310 wOBA, and there are few teams who wouldn’t benefit from adding a 3.0 WAR outfielder to their roster over the offseason.

While there’s no telling at this point where Victorino could end up, one thing seems certain: it’s extremely unlikely he returns to the Dodgers. Los Angeles seems to have their outfield planned for next season barring a trade of Andre Ethier, something the organization has explicitly stated they aren’t looking to do. The Reds, Indians, Rangers, and Red Sox have all been linked to Victorino, who will doubtlessly look to make a big splash.

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Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

That isn’t to say Boston doesn’t have a good chance at getting their money’s worth out of the longtime backup. Ross, already a former Dodger, Pirate, Padre, Red, and now Brave, will be on his second stint with the Red Sox; he was with the organization last in 2008, receiving only 9 plate appearances. Although not starting material, Ross is more than capable as an offensive-minded backup at the game’s most physically demanding position. For his career, he is a .238/.324/.444 hitter, and one with plenty of pop in his bat.

Ross also comes with solid UZR numbers per FanGraphs, indicating a strong defensive presence. The journeyman has never compiled more than 348 plate appearance in a season, but as long as Boston doesn’t overexpose him, he’s a safe bet to provide his usual assortment of patience and power at the plate along with reliable defense behind it over the next few years.

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Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan (16) reacts at batting practice prior to game four of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (whose article wasn’t about Pagan at all, but Melky Cabrera), there are some who think Cabrera could wind up staying with the World Champs if only because Pagan’s great play and his age may have priced himself out of San Francisco.

One NL personnel head went as far as to say he thinks Pagan, because of his trajectory and prime center field position, will receive more than Nick Swisher in free agency.

Pagan has the ability to play all three outfield positions, but center is where the money is. Josh Hamilton will get the biggest contract and B. J. Upton and Michael Bourn will surely follow, but Pagan would seem to be next in line; ahead of Shane Victorino. Once Cabrera was suspended, Pagan was inserted into the lead-off role and blossomed into a dynamic all-around player.

Those interested in Pagan will have to hope that his time in San Francisco was more than a short-term flash of greatness, as he’s shown at times when playing for the Cubs and the Mets. Pagan is younger than Victorino and plays a better centerfield. He’s also a more dangerous hitter at this point in his career. A club looking to fill a hole in center could do much worse and Victorino’s old club, the Phillies, are expected to be shopping for a center fielder this winter.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Hunter states that he’s sensing a mutual interest from the club in regarding a return to Anaheim, but any new deal worked out between the two sides would obviously pale in comparison to the five-year, $90 million deal he will be completing at the end of this season. The nine-time Gold Glove outfielder has done a fine job of earning his contract with the Angels, hitting .284/.351/.461 since signing the deal before the start of the 2008 season. Keeping the veteran’s bat around at a reduced price may actually be a pretty shrewd move for the Angels, who have much more in the way of outfield depth than outfield talent.

The Angels are rumored to be shopping both Vernon Wells and his massive contract as well as Peter Bourjos this off-season, so in the event one or both are traded, Hunter may have a more defined role with the team other than providing them with a bench bat and possible insurance. With recently signed Albert Pujols set to earn markedly more money in the coming seasons and the aforementioned Wells’ contract — which still has two years remaining on it — still on the books, Los Angeles may not want to pay Hunter much, but they likely won’t have to, and provided he’s used selectively, he’s shown he can still be a very nice player to have around.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Free agency was adopted as in December of 1975, but not without a fight.  The players had long sought the freedom to leave their current clubs and pursue more advantageous scenarios with other teams.  The battle was not just waged behind the closed doors of Major League Baseball, but in a court of law.  An arbitrator finally made the decision in 1975 to put an end to the “perpetual renewal rights clubs had.”  There’s a lot more detail that we could delve into in regards to the advent of free agency, but that is a history lesson for another day.  The MLB Player’s Association has some nice details about free agency’s history I would encourage you all to check out.

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So, with last week being at New Yankee Stadium, I felt compelled to head cross country to the west coast and the city of Newport Beach, California. No MLB club there, so something had to draw my mind to the city. 2,801 miles later, I found the offices of Scott Boras and Boras Corp. Yes, the home of baseball’s premier and arguably most powerful agent. While there have been numerous accounts of Boras authored over the years, the vast majority do paint Boras in a negative light. But think a little more outside the box here.
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