With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series on Wednesday, the MLB offseason has officially begun. Most of the action will take place during the Winter Meetings in Washington, D.C. from December 4-8, and there are plenty of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on. Here are the top five that we'll be paying attention to:
5) How to the Cubs strengthen their team?
The defending champs will come into the 2017 season as the overwhelming favorites, but there are still a few areas they need to improve. Manager Joe Maddon's lack of trust in his bullpen was blatantly obvious in the postseason - especially in the World Series - and that will be an area they need to address. Anything this team does (including the impending drama of whether or not they re-sign Dexter Fowler) will determine their chances at repeating - and who else has a chance to win the title.
4) Blue Jays
Toronto was the favorite in the American League last year before losing to the Indians, and now face a crucial offseason. Outfielders Jose Bautista and Michael Saunders and first baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion are free agents, and all will be heavily pursued in free agency. If they can re-sign them - or least Saunders and Encarnacion - they'll stay relevant. If not, Toronto likely will not make the playoffs.
3) Where do the big free agents sign?
We mentioned Fowler above, but there are plenty of other big name free agents available this summer. Yoenis Cespedes probably leads the group, and last year's home run leader, Mark Trumbo, is also available. Then, of course, there are outfielders Josh Reddick, Dexter Fowler, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday, first basemen Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland to third baseman Justin Turner - just to name a few. Where these guys sign could change the landscape of the league.
2) Trades for starting pitching
One thing you may notice about the above list of players is that all of them are hitters/position players - none are pitchers. In fact, the free agency pitching class is the weakest in recent memory. 36-year-old Rich Hill is the best of the bunch, followed by guys like Ivan Nova and R.A. Dickey.
As such, teams looking to upgrade their starting pitching will look to the trade market instead of to free agency. The White Sox will receive a ton of offers for their ace, Chris Sale.
1) Labor agreement
One of the biggest under-the-radar stories of the offseason is that the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. Many don't expect there to be any kind of a work stoppage because of new commissioner Ron Manfred's experience dealing with both sides. However, there will still be several issues both sides discuss and could change, namely roster size, luxury tax, the international draft and...the designated hitter.