Updating the Hottest Questions of the 2014-2015 MLB Offseason, Week 3

Major League Baseball's offseason has just begun, and already there are all sorts of rumors and speculation—and questions—surrounding a number of free agents and trade candidates, as well as teams' objectives and plans of attack.

Having hit on a number of topics last time, what better way to continue taking the temperature of the hot stove than by running through a batch of the hottest questions to cover the latest potential transaction action across the sport?

See, that's a question in and of itself, although the four to follow are a bit more meaningful. Promise.

Can the Blue Jays Make Another Major Move?

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

With Russell Martin out of a Pirates uni and into a Blue Jays one, can Toronto afford another big signing?

The Toronto Blue Jays just inked catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal that ranks as the second-largest in franchise history.

(Hopefully this one will prove to be a lot better than Vernon Wells' seven-year, $126 million extension that was signed after the 2006 campaign and became an albatross soon thereafter.)

With such a large amount already expended, can the Jays find enough room to make another major move?

There's word that Toronto is after Pablo Sandoval, per Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. The free-agent third baseman is said to be seeking a six-year pact worth upward of $100 million, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

That seems steep for the Jays, who have a policy of keeping all contracts to five years or less under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports notes.

But it's clear there's a need to fill an infield spot—either third base or second—and landing the Panda would allow Toronto to shift Brett Lawrie to the keystone full time after he saw plenty of action there in 2014.

To get Sandoval, though, the Jays might have to go beyond their usual means. That's a possibility, albeit an unlikely one, considering Martin's $82 million contract already is on the books and the fact that Sandoval is being pursued by the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

How Loaded Is the Starting Pitching Market Right Now?

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

In addition to Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields in free agency, there are big arms, like Jordan Zimmermann, available via trade.

Short answer: like, way loaded.

Longer answer? Well, you already know about Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields at the top of this offseason's free-agent class, and they're followed by Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano and Brandon McCarthy, among others. There's also the possibility that Japanese star Kenta Maeda could join the mix, too, if he's posted.

But the trade front has also picked up steam, with any number of arms being possible targets—from No. 1's like Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels and Jordan Zimmermann to mid-rotationers like Jeff Samardzija, Tyson Ross, Doug Fister, Mat Latos, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy.

At the moment, the most heat out of that group is coming from Washington.

Rumors last week that the Chicago Cubs were in talks to acquire Zimmermann didn't pan out, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the right-hander may, in fact, be available—for a major return, of course. Same goes for Fister, who also has one year left before he hits the open market, per Nightengale.

Given the quantity and quality of arms out there, it's merely a matter of waiting for the first move to be made—that might be Lester back to the Boston Red Sox, based on news from Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe—before the rest of this overflowing market starts, well, flowing.

Will the Mariners Ink a Big Bat to Improve Their Lineup?

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The Mariners need another heavy hitter in their lineup, which is why they've been linked to Hanley Ramirez.

The Seattle Mariners know what they need this winter, because it's the same thing they've needed for several years—offense.

And the team is on the lookout for a bat, particularly a right-handed one, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, to help balance out a lineup centered around lefty-swingers Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager:

"

As the Mariners continue their search for a right-handed hitter, they are more interested in signing free agent Nelson Cruz or trading for the Dodgers' Matt Kemp than signing free agent Hanley Ramirez.

Oh, and don't forget: The Braves' Justin Upton is somewhere on their wish list, too.

The Mariners are going to do something.

"

Whether it's Ramirez, Cruz, Kemp, Upton or someone else, Seattle almost has to bring someone aboard.

Ramirez to the Mariners just might be inevitable, as Anthony Castrovince predicts for Sports on Earth: "The utter desperation for a right-handed bat sucks the M's into the Hanley sweepstakes, and he gets to stay at short, after all."

The pitching staff is as good as just about any other in the sport, thanks to Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, youngsters Taijuan Walker and James Paxton and a great bullpen. In fact, the M's finished 2014 with the second-best team ERA in baseball.

Pitching has never been the problem, but the lineup is lacking outside of Cano and Seager. It might require an overpay on a contract that won't look good after a couple of years, but it also might be necessary in the ultra competitive AL West.

Seattle missed the playoffs by just one game last year, which was the closest any team came without making it, so any improvement could be enough to get them back to October for the first time since 2001.

Which Teams Are the Favorites for Cuban Sensations Yoan Moncada, Yasmany Tomas?

Moving from players who have MLB experience to those who don't—yet—the two hottest names on the international free-agent market are Cubans Yasmany Tomas and Yoan Moncada.

The former is a just-turned 24-year-old power-hitting outfielder who has been working out for teams since September, while the latter is a 19-year-old do-it-all switch-hitter who can play a number of positions, including second base and third base.

Both have been declared free agents by MLB, but neither has signed a contract to this point. In Moncada's case, he'll need to wait until the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control provides a license before he can sign, which may or may not happen this offseason. That hasn't stopped teams from watching Moncada's workouts and being tantalized by his potential.

In order to get a handle on the possible landing spots for these two given all of the hype surrounding them, we turn to Ben Badler of Baseball America.

The favorites for Tomas, who could sign for up to $100 million, are the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, who have been linked to Tomas for weeks:

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After showing one of the strongest presences at Tomas’ first open showcase in September and then being the first team to hold a private workout for him, there’s clearly interest from the Phillies. Given the fit and the track record, along with plenty of industry talk, there are a lot of arrows pointing toward Philadelphia as the leading candidate to sign Tomas.

The Phillies need to rebuild their major league team, and Tomas represents an enticing option as a player who could potentially help them win immediately and years into the future.

"

And the front-runners for Moncada—who falls under the international bonus restrictions, unlike Tomas, because he's younger than 23—include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves and the Giants.

Expect to see Tomas sign first since he has the all-clear to do so, but once that happens and Moncada follows suit, the teams that missed out on Tomas might go even harder after Moncada.