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Offseason Storylines

By Tim Dierkes [September 24, 2009 at 2:44pm CST]

Last winter's biggest storylines involved Jake Peavy, Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Junichi Tazawa, and Rafael Furcal. What will MLBTR be buzzing about this offseason?

Aroldis Chapman, a 21 year-old Cuban defector, is expected to become a free agent in a few weeks. The hard-throwing lefty may inspire a good old-fashioned Red Sox-Yankees bidding war, with the price beginning around $40MM. Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano is another hot topic - is he really 16?
Will Scott Boras secure a $100MM contract for left fielder Matt Holliday? At this point it's unclear which teams would be open to such a commitment, but the Cardinals will try to lock him up. Jason Bay, also a free agent, is more than a year older than Holliday. How will his contract compare?
Would Manny Ramirez, another Boras client, dare turn down his $20MM player option? He's had a typical Manny season aside from a 50-game suspension for use of a banned substance.
Will the Mets reduce payroll for 2010, despite multiple needs? How will the Rangers sale play out? Will the Cubs' new ownership be willing to spend?
The Angels have many prominent free agents, including Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins, and Bobby Abreu. Lackey is the best available pitcher; will he command Burnett money?
Joe Mauer's contract is up after the 2010 season, which is also the inaugural year for the Twins' new ballpark. Will the team pony up a massive extension for the MVP candidate?
Roy Halladay figures to be a regular presence in the rumor mill, after the Blue Jays shopped him this summer. Other trade candidates include Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Adrian Gonzalez, Javier Vazquez, and Milton Bradley.
Free agent bargains such as Bobby Abreu and Randy Wolf didn't sign until February last time around. Will teams be more inclined to play the waiting game?
The NL West has three free agent GMs: Dan O'Dowd, Brian Sabean, and Ned Colletti (mutual option).
Thanks to the MLBTR writing staff and our Twitter followers for many of these storylines.