Updating the Hottest Questions of the 2015-2016 MLB Offseason, Week 6

From trying to decipher what the heck the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing to puzzling over where Yoenis Cespedes will play next season, there are plenty of giant questions left to be answered before the MLB offseason begins its brief holiday hibernation.

While Cespedes isn't the only free-agent headliner who cracks this list, there's also room for a veteran infielder who has recently ended up on the trade block.

Departing from the trade and free-agent theme, there's also a place in the conversation for one National League powerhouse that just can't seem to catch any luck on the health front.

Where Is Yoenis Cespedes Going to Find His Big Payday?

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Angels, whose left fielders combined to rank last in the bigs in OPS in 2015, seemed to be the ideal suitor for Yoenis Cespedes.

Well, until team owner Arte Moreno said that the Halos are "probably out" on guys like Cespedes, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

With the Angels bowing out, a return to the American League Central could be on tap for the powerful Cuban. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Chicago White Sox could enter the derby: "The White Sox still looking to upgrade the lineup, general manager Rick Hahn says, and could be in market for splashy free agent such as Upton or Cespedes."

Importing Cespedes to anchor the middle of the lineup along with Jose Abreu would be the kind of splash that would give pitchers nightmares across the AL.

But one of the White Sox's Central neighbors looks like an even more compelling fit. As Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reported, Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch isn't afraid to spend big—really big.

"I'm supposed to be a good boy and not go over [the luxury-tax limit]," Ilitch said. "But if I think there are certain players that could help us a lot, I'll go over it."

A true game-changer who clubbed 35 jacks in 2015, Cespedes sounds like exactly the type of player that Ilitch was referring to. If the Tigers were to bring Cespedes back to Motown, it would be shrewd to offer him a deal in the Johnny Cueto model.

The team could give Cespedes a contract in the five- to six-year range with the potential to opt out after the first couple of seasons. By structuring the deal in that way, the outfielder would have the incentive to put up big numbers early and try to cash in again following the 2017 season.

The Answer: Detroit

How Concerned Should the St. Louis Cardinals Be About Yadier Molina's Thumb?

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Yadier Molina is looking like a major question mark heading into 2016.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, the veteran backstop had to have a second surgery to fix the torn ligament in his left thumb because the injury wasn't healing properly.

As Langosch noted, even though general manager John Mozeliak doesn't expect Molina to be ready to go at the start of spring training, the exec does believe that he'll be in the lineup on Opening Day. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it's only December and the Cards are already at less than 100 percent on the health front. The 162-game big league season is an absolute grind. It's the kind of grind that leads to all sorts of injuries. St. Louis hasn't even made it to the starting line, and a serious injury concern has already cropped up.

Fortunately, the team has secured a decent backup option in Brayan Pena, who tallied a .273 average in 2015. But the 33-year-old switch-hitter is no Molina.

With the Chicago Cubs rising and the Pittsburgh Pirates lurking, the Cards need Molina behind the dish. If Molina's recovery goes perfectly, he'll be there. But so far, the recovery has been anything but perfect.

The Answer: Very

Who Will Sign Chris Davis?

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Scott Boras, the agent of Chris Davis, is playing one dangerous game.

According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, the seven-year, $150 million offer that the Baltimore Orioles made to Davis during the winter meetings is no longer there for the taking.

That's a ton of money to turn down, and even worse, it's unclear if any other team plans to make a similar bid.

"If Chris Davis doesn’t return to Orioles…the only other match I can is [the Houston] Astros..acquired cheap closer..low payroll..but will they spend?" Jim Bowden of ESPN and SiriusXM tweeted.

That's an intriguing observation from Bowden, as Davis appears to be a microcosm of the Astros offense. Last year, Houston was second in the AL in home runs and led the world in strikeouts. Davis paced baseball in both of those categories in 2015.

The longer Davis sits out there on the marketplace, the more the negotiating leverage tilts in the favor of a club like the Astros. That is, as Bowden put it, if the team decides to "spend."

The Answer: Astros

Is Brandon Phillips Going to Be at Great American Ball Park on Opening Day?

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Trading Brandon Phillips just makes too much sense for the Cincinnati Reds.

After losing 98 games in 2015, the club has clearly entered rebuild mode. Just look at the decision to ship out Todd Frazier, who clocked 35 homers during the season that was, in a three-team swap with the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, per ESPN.com.

Jettisoning Phillips would not only help Cincinnati to bolster its farm, but it would also allow the organization to save a large chunk of change. The 34-year-old makes $13 million in 2016 and $14 million the year after that.

Ultimately, Phillips will have a big say in whether he departs this winter. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported, the second baseman has full no-trade protection as a player with 10 years of major league service, including five consecutive with the same team.

According to Rosenthal, the Washington Nationals have talked to the Reds about adding Phillips. As Rosenthal added, the right-handed hitter would be open to such a deal. Phillips' Twitter activity seems to back up that claim, as he tweeted "513 to 202"—202 being the area code in Washington, DC.

Bringing the four-time Gold Glover to the nation's capital would be a smart play for Washington. Phillips would once again have the chance to play for manager Dusty Baker, and his addition would give the Nats the flexibility to shift Danny Espinosa until top prospect Trea Turner is ready to take over at Nationals Park.

The Answer: No

How Can the Los Angeles Dodgers Fix This 'Train Wreck' of an Offseason?

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times summed it up best when he dubbed the offseason a "tremendous train wreck" for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And that was before the club's deal with Hisashi Iwakuma went sideways due to a failed physical, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

With the Dodgers scrambling to find a talented arm to plug into the rotation behind Clayton Kershaw, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that the team has discussed Jake Odorizzi with the Tampa Bay Rays. The owner of a 3.35 ERA in 2015, the righty would be a nice get.

But with the Arizona Diamondbacks stealing away Zack Greinke and the San Francisco Giants snapping up Johnny Cueto, the Dodgers need to go bigger than that.

It's right out of the pure speculation department, but Lyle Spencer of MLB.com has an idea for the brain trust at Chavez Ravine: "Everyone talking about possible Jose Fernandez deal for [the Los Angeles] Dodgers but Sonny Gray just as intriguing given [Oakland Athletics] history. Proven in October."

If the Athletics have even the slightest interest in entertaining a Gray blockbuster, the marketing department certainly hasn't received the memo. The avatar of the club's official Twitter account is currently a picture of Gray donning a Jedi robe.

Still, at the very least, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi wouldn't have any trouble getting Billy Beane on the phone, as he was the longtime understudy of Oakland's vice president of baseball operations. And a one-two punch of Kershaw and Gray would be flat-out stupid.

The Answer: Snag Gray

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on Baseball Prospectus.com.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.